Late Drama as Stuttgart Sink Freiburg to Reach DFB-Pokal Final

Stuttgart break Freiburg hearts, set up DFB-Pokal final vs Bayern 

Stuttgart broke Freiburg hearts with a 120th-minute winner from Tiago Tomas. The 2-1 comeback win puts the holders into the DFB-Pokal final for a clash with Bayern.

Stuttgart score late in extra time to beat Freiburg and book DFB-Pokal final spot...

Holders VfB Stuttgart fought back to beat SC Freiburg 2-1 after extra time in a frantic DFB-Pokal semi-final. The win puts them into the final and marks the fifth time in six meetings that Die Schwaben have knocked Die Breisgau-Brasilianer out of the competition.

Four yellow cards were shown during a fiery five-minute spell early in the match, which included Maximilian Eggestein appealing strongly for a penalty after going down under a challenge from Angelo Stiller.

 

The protests were quickly dismissed, but the away fans soon had something to cheer. Matthias Ginter headed a half-cleared corner into the six-yard box, where Eggestein reacted first to poke it past Alexander Nubel.

Stuttgart went into halftime without a single shot on target, though not for lack of effort. Just before the break, Ermedin Demirović skied a bouncing ball in the box over the bar.

The striker failed to connect properly with a flicked effort, before Jamie Leweling curled a low shot just wide and Deniz Undav had a close-range volley blocked in first-half stoppage time.

Freiburg had lost their last three head-to-head trips to Stuttgart 10-0 on aggregate, yet the visitors started the second half 45 minutes away from only their second DFB-Pokal final.

Die Schwaben pushed for an equaliser. Chris Führich fired wide when unmarked at the back post, and Florian Müller made his first save to claw a loose ball off the goalline. Moments later, Stiller’s driven strike beat him, but it was ruled out for offside in the build-up.

The drama grew when Yuito Suzuki was stopped by a last-ditch block. That sparked a counter that saw Bilal El Khannouss set up Undav, who equalised with a precise first-time finish.

 

With momentum on their side, the hosts nearly went ahead when Undav’s deflected low shot was kept out by Müller and the post.

Muller stayed sharp in stoppage time to push away Führich’s curling shot before Undav forced another save with a powerful strike. That sent the tie to extra time for only the second time in Freiburg’s last 13 games in the competition.

Lucas Holer put the ball in the net shortly after the restart, but it was ruled out after the referee had already blown for a foul.

At the other end, Führich’s fierce first-time effort crashed off the woodwork. Müller then pulled off a superb stop to deny El Khannouss after a slick one-two gave the sub a clear chance.

 

BERLIN, BERLIN! WIR FAHREN NACH BERLIN!#VfB | #VfB1893 | #Bundesliga | #VfBSCF 2:1 (120.) pic.twitter.com/HzFNmg8eJa

— VfB Stuttgart 1893 (@VfB) April 23, 2026

Stuttgart kept pushing for a winner, and with penalties approaching, Tiago Tomás broke Freiburg hearts. He timed his run perfectly to flick home El Khannouss’ low cross.

The result gives Stuttgart 11 straight wins in the competition, setting a new club record. Their reward is a final against Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

For Freiburg, the beaten semi-finalists miss out on a chance to avenge their 2022 final loss. But they can still chase a first major trophy, with a UEFA Europa League semi-final still to play.