Stuttgart reach German Cup final after 3-1 win over Leipzig

VfB Stuttgart booked a spot in the German Cup final after a 3-1 home win against RB Leipzig on Wednesday evening.

In the final in Berlin on May 24, Stuttgart will face Arminia Bielefeld, who on Tuesday stunned title holders Bayer Leverkusen in a 2-1 win.

This is the first time since the 2012-13 season that Stuttgart reach the Cup final. Back then, they were defeated by Bayern Munich.

"It's really great, we're very happy," goalkeeper Alexander Nübel said after the game.

Stuttgart were quick to find the opener and were ahead in the sixth minute. Benjamin Sesko cleared Maximilian Mittelstädt's corner in the box, but the ball fell to Angelo Stiller, who fired an unstoppable first-time strike from distance.

But the hosts were lucky to finish the first half with the lead, because Leizpig had more than enough chances to level.

Nübel was the first-half hero, first with two good saves to deny Lois Openda in the 15th and 17th and then with a save to hold Xavi Simons' effort from the edge of the box in the 31st.

Nübel also denied Openda a third time, this one from close range in the 35th.

The wasted chances were costly for Leipzig as Stuttgart found the net again in the 57th. After a nice exchange of passes, Nick Woltemade played a one-two with Ermedin Demirovic before scoring.

Sesko pulled one back for Leipzig five minutes later, but Stuttgart put the game to bed in the 73rd.

The Leipzig defence thought it had cleared Jamie Leweling's effort after a corner, but the ball had already crossed the goal line.

"Big result, big experience, congratulations to the team. It was an unbelievable performance, today was a hard piece of work," Stuttgart sporting director Christian Gentner said.

In one final effort, Leipzig, who won the Cup in 2022 and 2023, hit the crossbar in the 87th.

The defeat marked the debut of Zsolt Löw as Leipzig coach. He took over on an interim basis until the end of the season after Marco Rose was dismissed.