DFB Cup final: VfB defeats the favorites Bielefeld

(dpa) VfB Stuttgart celebrated a lavish cup celebration, ending the trophy dream of sensational finalist Arminia Bielefeld. In a long, extremely one-sided final, the Swabians wrote a glorious new chapter in club history with their first DFB Cup triumph in 28 years. With a 4-2 (3-0) win against a completely overwhelmed Arminia in the first half, coach Sebastian Hoeness's VfB halted the impressive run of the second-division newcomers, whose hopes of a title coup at the Olympic Stadium were dashed early on.

Goals from Nick Woltemade (15th minute), Enzo Millot (22nd minute), and Deniz Undav (28th minute) laid the foundation for the victory. The Swabians initially showed a class difference to one of the biggest final underdogs in cup history in front of 74,036 spectators. VfB dominated almost at will and added another goal after the break with Millot's second goal (66th minute).

In the 82nd minute, a Bielefeld player also made cup history: Julian Kania scored the equalizer for Arminia, the first goal by a third-division team in a DFB-Pokal final. And then, suddenly, the score was 2-4 after an own goal by Josha Vagnoman (85th).

Ultimately, a mixed season for the Swabians, in which, unlike in this final, not everything went as planned, ended with a happy ending. Despite finishing ninth in the Bundesliga, VfB can now look forward to exciting Europa League evenings next season.

With the first title in the club's history since the 2007 championship, the team crowns its development under Hoeness. Two years ago, the journey began with a narrow avoidance of relegation. Then, Dieter Hoeness' son led the Swabians to the runner-up spot and now to their fourth cup victory overall, following in 1954, 1958, and 1997.

"We'll approach the game as if it were against Leverkusen, Bayern, or Real Madrid," said national striker Undav, warning against underestimating Arminia. No sooner said than done.

Fans in the capital had been tuning in for the season's highlight since Friday. "The city is vibrating," VfB coach Hoeness described the cup atmosphere. Thousands, sporting the VfB colors of white and red, crowded around the Gedächtniskirche (Memorial Church).

Former national coach Joachim Löw, the 1997 DFB Cup champion coach, also stepped up to liven things up. The fans sang their club anthem about the "wild south": "Stuttgart is coming, Stuttgart is coming."

And after choreography from both fan bases, the team promptly put that into practice on the pitch against a disappointing underdog – first in the person of rising star Woltemade. After a quarter of an hour, the striker opened the scoring for VfB, running alone toward the Arminia goal and remaining cool. Bielefeld goalkeeper Jonas Kersken was still in touch, but couldn't prevent the early deficit for the first 3. Liga finalist in 24 years.

The Swabians countered Bielefeld to make it 2-0 after a corner. Undav kept his composure, and Millot only had to tap in. Undav's goal quickly sparked even more celebration among the VfB fans.

Stuttgart's pacesetter Angelo Stiller played a key role in providing the assist for all three goals in the first half, impressively underscoring why Stuttgart had been so hopeful about him. Due to a ligament injury, his participation had been in doubt until the final day.

The match was already decided at halftime. There had never been a bigger halftime lead than in the 82nd DFB Cup final. Given Stuttgart's dominance, the score could have been even higher.

And that was despite the fact that it was Arminia who should have taken the lead. Noah Joel Sarenren Bazee's huge missed chance, hitting the crossbar from five meters (12th minute), marked the beginning of a bitter evening for Bielefeld. Coach Mitch Kniat's team had previously sensationally knocked four first division and one second division teams out of the cup competition.

In front of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, national coach Julian Nagelsmann, Löw, and even VfB icons like Giovane Elber and Krassimir Balakov, VfB continued to apply pressure in the second half. Millot gave Stuttgart another chance to celebrate with his second goal. Kania's conceded goal and Vagnoman's own goal had the Arminia fans jumping and hoping in the stands. However, the final offensive had no further effect.