First derailed, then unleashed: Bielefeld's wild knockout in the cup final

It was the 12th minute of the game. Fateful, a pivotal moment. These are the moments that an underdog like the still-third-division Arminia Berlin footballers hope for in the DFB Cup final in Berlin against the clear favorites of Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart.

When Bielefeld quickly combined through the middle and Joel Grodowski played a low pass to Noah Sarenren Bazee, the VfB fans in the East Stand caught their breath. Meanwhile, the supporters of the newly promoted second division team on the other side were screaming for a goal. But just five meters from the goal, Sarenren Bazee lost his nerve and hit the crossbar.

So it happened as it had to: VfB took control, scored three goals within 13 minutes and dominated the final before halftime.

Significantly, the huge opportunity that Sarenren Bazee had missed was to remain the only possibility according to the classic pattern - when the underdog takes advantage because the favorite is unfocused.

It seemed as if the East Westphalians, who had been so strong throughout the entire cup season, were simply too big to face in Berlin – instead of on their home turf. In front of the goal of new international Nick Woltemade (15th minute), his DFB colleague Angelo Stiller took a direct ball and sent the tall striker past a Bielefeld player into a running duel. Woltemade remained steady and gave Arminia goalkeeper Jonas Kersken no chance.

The mistake before the 0-2 was even more blatant, when Sam Schreck and Marius Wörl disagreed after their own corner. Deniz Undav and Enzo Millot ran alone toward Kersken, Undav set up Millot, and the goal (22'). The 0-3 six minutes later came from another Bielefeld lapse of concentration, when Stiller set up the industrious Undav, who coolly finished.

After half an hour, the situation was clearly as expected. "We weren't there for ten or 15 minutes and the opponent took merciless advantage of that," Arminia coach Mitch Kniat aptly summed it up.

When the fourth goal, again scored by Millot (66th minute), also resulted from a misplaced pass by Bielefeld, Stuttgart were already celebrating; all doubts seemed to be dispelled. The entire Swabian eleven gathered at the stand where the goal had just been scored. A party atmosphere in the stands, a party atmosphere on the pitch. VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß was already running onto the pitch to hug players.

But then, late and unexpectedly, the fighting spirit of the underdog finally erupted. The third-division champions briefly showed their true colors as a cup-wreck, having defeated first-division sides Union Berlin, Freiburg, Bremen, and, most recently, former double winner Bayer Leverkusen in the semifinals.

The 1:4 goal by substitute Julian Kania in the 82nd minute was a wake-up call - and at the same time historic: Kania was the first third division player ever to score in a DFB Cup final.

Makes history with Arminia: Julian Kania is the first third division player to score in a cup final.

Source: IMAGO/Students

When Josha Vagnoman headed past his own goalkeeper Alexander Nübel just three minutes later, real hope began to emerge. The roles were once again distributed as they should be—the underdog benefited from the opponent's carelessness.

In stoppage time, in the penalty area in front of his own team's unleashed fans, Lukas Kunze missed the chance to connect, but Nübel saved in Stuttgart's desperate moment. Hoeneß also admitted that "very strange thoughts were going through his head," he later admitted at the press conference.

The VfB coach was then greeted by the team mid-set with the obligatory beer shower. This answered all questions. The cup victory, VfB's fourth overall and the first since 1997, as well as the successful Europa League qualification, had to be celebrated.

And his counterpart, Kniat? He praised his team especially for the final phase. The 12th minute was "no longer an issue" for him and the team. He remembers the wild final offensive that brought Bielefeld's sensational cup season to a close.