STUTTGART, Germany: Eintracht Frankfurt came from a goal down to book a date with RB Leipzig in the German Cup final with a 3-2 win over Stuttgart on Wednesday.
Trailing after a Tiago Tomas goal, the Europa League champions scored two goals in five second-half minutes through Evan Ndicka and Daichi Kamada to turn the game.
France striker Randal Kolo Muani was brought down in the box with 15 minutes remaining and converted the penalty.
Stuttgart’s Enzo Millot pulled one back but the home side were reduced to 10 men shortly after when Borna Sosa picked up a second yellow.
Frankfurt survived a VAR review for a handball in the penalty area in the seventh minute of injury time to remain on track for a sixth German Cup title.
Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner admitted his team “were lucky today,” telling Germany’s ARD network “I’m crazily happy and proud of the boys.”
“We’re very happy to be going to Berlin.”
Stuttgart goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow said his side’s “disappointment is huge,” complaining “the ball clearly hit the arm” of a Frankfurt player in the final seconds.
“With a little bit of luck we’d get the penalty, we’d shoot 3-3 and it’d go into extra time.”
Despite sitting just one spot above the Bundesliga relegation spots on goal difference, hosts Stuttgart came into the match unbeaten in five games under new manager Sebastian Hoeness.
Ninth in the league, Frankfurt arrived amid a terrible run of form, with only one win in 11 matches since being eliminated from the Champions League by Napoli.
Tomas gave Stuttgart the lead after 18 minutes, smashing the ball past goalie Kevin Trapp at the near post after collecting a cutback from Josha Vagnoman.
Frankfurt emerged from the half-time break a different side and took the lead five minutes in, Kolo Muani finding Ndicka in the box who hammered a low finish to equalize.
Kamada made it two five minutes later with a solo effort, beating several Stuttgart defenders before placing the ball into the left-hand corner.
With 15 minutes remaining, Stuttgart pushed several players forward looking for an equalizer, but the ball fell fortunately for Kamada who ran 50 meters before finding Kolo Muani, who was felled in the box by goalie Fabian Bredlow.
Bredlow escaped with a yellow card but Kolo Muani converted the penalty to give the visitors a 3-1 lead.
The France striker now has 21 goals in 41 games for Frankfurt.
With the home fans in full voice, Stuttgart’s frustrations rose, with Sosa yellow carded for kicking the ball away.
Millot scored a deflected goal for the home side soon after but Sosa picked up a second yellow with four remaining for sinking his studs into the foot of Aurelio Buta.
Stuttgart pushed for a late equalizer and had a corner with 15 seconds remaining in injury time and claimed a handball, but the incident survived a VAR review.
Frankfurt, who last won the title in 2018 with a 3-1 win over Bayern Munich, will meet Leipzig, who dispatched Freiburg 5-1 on Tuesday, on June 3 in the German capital.
Frankfurt into German Cup final after comeback win over Stuttgart
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Frankfurt into German Cup final after comeback win over Stuttgart
- Frankfurt survived a VAR review for a handball in the penalty area in the seventh minute of injury time to remain on track for a sixth German Cup title
Inter continue Scudetto march after Champions League humbling
- Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto
MILAN, Italy: Inter Milan bounced back from Champions League elimination with Saturday’s 2-0 win over Genoa which continued their march toward the Serie A title.
Federico Dimarco’s brilliant volley just after the half-hour mark and Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty were enough for Inter to extend their already huge lead over AC Milan at the top of the table to 13 points.
Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto.
Inter, whose fans unloaded a collection of anti-Milan chants in anticipation of the derby, have dropped just two points in 15 league matches and have been a cut above the rest in Italy’s top flight this season.
Their domestic dominance comes in stark contrast to the humiliating manner in which they were dumped out of the Champions League by Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday night.
A 5-2 aggregate defeat to the Norwegian minnows cast doubts over not just the quality of Cristian Chivu’s team but of Italian football as a whole.
There was plenty of quality in Dimarco’s opener however, the Italy full-back beautifully placing a first-time finish from a tight angle after exchanging passes with Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Little else happened in a humdrum encounter until Alex Amorim handled a cross from Luis Henrique, whose shot had been tipped onto the post just moments before.
Calhanoglu calmly stroked home the spot-kick on his return to action following niggling muscle problems which have caused him issues since before Christmas, sealing the points for Inter.
Big Rom back
Romelu Lukaku kept Napoli on course for a Champions League spot with a last-gasp winner in the champions’ 2-1 victory over rock-bottom Verona, the Belgium forward’s first goal of the season.
Lukaku forced home Giovane’s cross to snatch the win for third-placed Napoli with the last kick of the game at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
Napoli had looked like dropping points in northern Italy when Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro levelled Rasmus Hojlund’s early opener in the 65th minute.
But Lukaku, who only played his first game of the season in late January, gave Napoli a huge win with both Como and Atalanta pushing for a top-four placing.
“I was a dead player before coming here,” said Lukaku to DAZN.
“This season has been difficult, but we’ve got to aim high.”
Napoli’s title defense is all but over as they trail Inter by 14 points after an injury-ravaged season.
Napoli were missing key midfielders Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne and Andre-Frank Anguissa on Saturday, as well as captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Verona, under interim coach Paolo Sammarco following the sacking of Paolo Zanetti earlier this month, are 10 points from safety after a 12th straight match without a win.
Como, who face Inter in the first leg of the Italian Cup semifinals on Tuesday, strolled to 3-1 victory over strugglers Lecce to continue their push for a first-ever qualification for European football.
Cesc Fabregas’s team are two points behind Roma, in fourth and Juventus’ opponents on Sunday, and five behind Napoli.
Como are also two points ahead of sixth-placed Juve who face Roma trying to stay in touch with the Champions League places after being eliminated from Europe’s elite club competition by Galatasaray on Wednesday.
