FC Saarbrücken made headlines earlier this season when they knocked Bayern Munich out of the DFB Pokal competition. This was one of the craziest upsets in the history of German football, considering how the Bavarians fielded arguably their strongest players, including new signing Harry Kane, superstaxr midfielder Joshua Kimmich, and other forwards like Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala.
The win quickly secured FC Saarbrücken the spot, with many describing it as a stroke of luck. Others also believed they could go deeper in the competition, which is exactly what they’ve done. They advanced into the semi-finals yesterday at the expense of Borussia Monchengladbach, causing another crazy upset as their historic run continues.
FC Saarbrücken reach semi-final after outlasting Borussia Gladbach
Underdogs are never favored in any tie against the bigger teams, but when they manage to cause an upset, they usually go viral, perhaps getting more attention than they should really be getting. This is the story of third-tier German club FC Saarbrücken, who knocked out Bayern Munich earlier this season from the DFB Pokal in the most historic win in the club’s history.
Their run began in November 2023 when they beat a Bayern team with the likes of Harry Kane and Thomas Muller in the starting XI. The 2-1 win in the second round of the competition put the 3 Liga team on the spot, and they haven’t stopped causing upsets to higher-tier teams since then. They faced Frankfurt in the round of 16 of the competition and recorded a solid 2-0 win to book their spot in the quarterfinals against Borussia Monchengladbach.
The tie, which was played yesterday, was filled with action all through. FC Saarbrücken went behind in the eighth minute when Hack gave the away team the lead. However, FC Saarbrücken pulled off an equalizer three minutes later to draw level. This set the tone for an exciting and proper quarterfinal game. After 90 minutes of end-to-end action, the third-tier team snatched the winner in the 93rd minute to book a spot in the semi-final of the DFB Pokal.
Brief history of FC Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken FC has been making waves, even beyond Germany, thanks to its wonderful run in the DFB Pokal this season. The club plays in the third tier of German football, called 3. Liga. It was founded 120 years ago, in April 1903, making it one of the oldest clubs in the league it’s currently playing in. The highest honor in the club’s history came in 1943 and 1952, when they finished runners-up in the German football championship, later replaced by the Bundesliga, the summit of football in Germany.
Everyone familiar with the club knows they’re the kings of upsets in Germany. In 2020, they became the first fourth-tier team to reach the semifinals of the DFB Pokal when they beat Fortuna Dusseldorf to make it to the last four. This will be the second time in less than four years they’ll make it into the semifinals of the DFB Pokal.
FC Saarbrücken will play second-tier FCK in the semi-final after the latter beat Hertha Berlin last week to book its spot in the final four. The game will be exciting, considering how they both want to make a historic run into the final for the first time in their respective histories.
While FC Saarbrücken is vying for a spot in the final of the DFB Pokal, it’s still in line for promotion into the second tier of German football. It lies ninth on the table, nine points behind the first-placed team, and it’s currently on a five-game unbeaten run in the league, which may prove very helpful in the latter stages of the season.
