Ten-man MSV Duisburg beat fellow second division side Energie Cottbus 2-1 in Wednesday's DFB Cup semi-final and will face either holders Bayern Munich or Schalke in the final on May 21.
Duisburg will contest the prestigous final at Berlin's Olympic Stadium after Austrian striker Stefan Maierhofer netted in the first half before Serbia's Srdjan Baljak made sure of the win with a 54th-minute strike.
There was drama with 12 minutes to go as Duisburg defender Bruno Soares was sent off for hauling down Cottbus's Dutch midfielder Jules Reimerink in the penalty area and Nils Petersen netted the spot-kick. Cottbus had a header from defender Uwe Huenemeier cleared off the line with 89 minutes on the clock in a frantic finale.
This is the first time since 2004, when second-tier Alemannia Aachen lost 3-2 to first division side Werder Bremen, that a 2. Bundesliga team has reached the final.
A win would guarantee a secure place in the UEFA Europa League, but if Bayern München, playing in the second semi against league rivals FC Schalke 04 on Wednesday (8.30 p.m.), would pass and besides that qualify for the Champions League, even a loss in the final would be enough.
München and Schalke met in last year's semifinals as well, when Bayern won 1-0 at Schalke and later claimed the title afterwards with a 4-0 against Werder Bremen.
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Ten-man MSV Duisburg beat fellow second division side Energie Cottbus 2-1 in Wednesday's DFB Cup semi-final and will face either holders Bayern Munich or Schalke in the final on May 21.
Duisburg will contest the prestigous final at Berlin's Olympic Stadium after Austrian striker Stefan Maierhofer netted in the first half before Serbia's Srdjan Baljak made sure of the win with a 54th-minute strike.
There was drama with 12 minutes to go as Duisburg defender Bruno Soares was sent off for hauling down Cottbus's Dutch midfielder Jules Reimerink in the penalty area and Nils Petersen netted the spot-kick. Cottbus had a header from defender Uwe Huenemeier cleared off the line with 89 minutes on the clock in a frantic finale.
This is the first time since 2004, when second-tier Alemannia Aachen lost 3-2 to first division side Werder Bremen, that a 2. Bundesliga team has reached the final.
A win would guarantee a secure place in the UEFA Europa League, but if Bayern München, playing in the second semi against league rivals FC Schalke 04 on Wednesday (8.30 p.m.), would pass and besides that qualify for the Champions League, even a loss in the final would be enough.
München and Schalke met in last year's semifinals as well, when Bayern won 1-0 at Schalke and later claimed the title afterwards with a 4-0 against Werder Bremen.
