Tiago Tomas’ stunning 119th-minute back-heel sent Stuttgart to a German Cup final meeting with Bayern Munich after a 2-1 extra-time home win over Freiburg on Thursday.
Maximilian Eggestein’s first-half opener had Freiburg on track for a second German Cup final but Deniz Undav levelled things up with 20 minutes remaining.
Moments away from a penalty shootout, Tomas lept high and glanced a clever back-heel into the left-hand corner to keep Stuttgart’s German Cup title defence on track.
Stuttgart, who opened the German football season with a home Supercup clash against freshly minted Bundesliga champions Bayern, will now face the Bavarians once again in the final match of the domestic campaign.
Freiburg took the lead with 28 minutes gone when Eggestein got a boot to a Matthias Ginter header and edged it past Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel.
Former Freiburg forward Ermedin Demirovic had a chance to equalise just before the break but lifted a close-range shot over the bar.
Freiburg repeatedly put their bodies on the line to keep Stuttgart at bay, with visiting striker Igor Matanovic’s full-body block stopping an Undav shot just before the break.
Stuttgart had the ball in the net just after the hour mark when Angelo Stiller cut a shot across the face of goal and into the corner but creator Demirovic was offside.
The hosts eventually broke through with 20 minutes remaining when Undav finished off a length-of-the-field counter to level up the scores.
Stuttgart had a flurry of chances in the final stages of regulation time. Undav hit the right post and dragged another effort just wide of the left, while Freiburg ‘keeper Florian Mueller saved from Chris Fuehrich.
Freiburg had cause to complain early in extra time when Lucas Hoeler’s goal did not count because the referee blew the whistle for a soft foul moments before scoring, meaning it could not be reviewed by VAR.
The match looked headed for penalties but Tomas’ incredible display of skill in the final minute booked Stuttgart’s spot in the Berlin showpiece on May 23.
dwi/nf
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