HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Freiburg defeated former Bundesliga heavyweight Hamburger SV 3-1 away on Tuesday to reach the German Cup final for the first time.
First-half goals from Nils Petersen, Nicolas Höfler and Vincenzo Grifo put the visitors firmly in control before the break and Hamburg’s response through Robert Glatzel was much too late in the 88th minute.
The home team had started well in front of a capacity crowd of 57,000 at the Volksparkstadion, but failed to properly clear a corner and Petersen scored in the 11th minute.
Höfler netted with a deflected shot six minutes later and Grifo converted a penalty in the 35th. The spot kick was awarded after a VAR check when Hamburg’s Moritz Heyer caught fallen Freiburg defender Nico Schlotterbeck in the back of his neck with his boot during an attempted clearance.
The visiting fans were already celebrating their team’s progress to the final before Glatzel scored Hamburg’s consolation. It was just a brief interruption.
Last year’s beaten finalist Leipzig hosts Union Berlin in the other semifinal on Wednesday.
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