The reigning German champions arrived in Bielefeld as heavy favorites against third-division side Arminia, but the former Bundesliga club’s fairy tale run continued—even against Bayer Leverkusen. After knocking out Hannover, Union Berlin, Freiburg, and Werder, the “Pharmacists” also fell victim (2-1), sending Arminia to the German Cup final. This marks only the fourth time in the history of German football that a third-tier team will compete for the title. Even more astonishing is that Arminia currently sits fourth in the third-division standings.Granit Xhaka. I miss him. What a man. pic.twitter.com/Fg2VYyVmTb— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) April 2, 2025 Leverkusen crumbled against a well-organized Arminia side that staged a first-half comeback. The visitors took the lead when center-back Jonathan Tah found the net in the 17th minute, but just three minutes later, Arminia equalized. Then, in the dying moments of first-half stoppage time, the hosts took the lead. They held firm throughout the second half, eliminating Bayer, a defeat that Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka simply couldn’t stomach.Leverkusen’s horror continues: third-tier Bielefeld show them cup’s exit doors!Xhaka played the full 90 minutes but had an uncharacteristically poor performance by his standards. His passing accuracy was just 63%, he completed only two out of 13 attempted long balls, and he lost possession a staggering 27 times—highly unusual for someone who serves as the midfield anchor. He wasn’t the only one who struggled, though; the entire midfield under-performed, including Exequiel Palacios and Robert Andrich.4 & 1 – Arminia Bielefeld is the first team to knock out four Bundesliga teams in one DFB-Pokal season without being a first or second division team and thus advance to their first ever final in the competition. Sensation. pic.twitter.com/7yuPsy7ey4— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) April 1, 2025 While most of the team walked off the pitch with their heads down, devastated by the loss, Xhaka was visibly angry. As he left, he couldn’t ignore the frustrated fans who were criticizing him and the entire team. Instead of brushing it off, he stopped and engaged in a heated argument. There were tense words, finger-pointing, and a palpable sense of frustration, revealing that even after all these years, Xhaka still struggles to handle criticism—this time, even from regular fans in the stands.DFB Pokal – SEMIFINALTuesdayBielefeld – Leverkusen 2-1 (2-1)/Worl 20, Grosser 45+3 – Tah 21/Wednesday21:45: (2.10) Stuttgart (3.50) RB Leipzig (3.40)***odds are subject to change***
