Third tier Arminia Bielefeld stun Freiburg to advance into quarters

Arminia Bielefeld, the sole 3.Liga side to reach the DfB Pokal Round of 16, welcomed SC Freiburg to the SchücoArena tonight. Julian Schuster’s men fell victim to a cup upset as Bielefeld ran out 3-1 winners.

There was an upset on the cards this evening as in-form 3.Liga outfit Arminia Bielefeld knocked Freiburg out of the DfB Pokal. The hosts created the first opportunity as a fired up home crowd watched Gael Corboz’s low cross turned over the bar by Julian Kania. Drama ensued as Freiburg received a penalty when Maxi Großer was caught in possession and wiped out Gregoritsch. Florent Muslija stepped up only to be denied by Jonas Kersken who also smothered the rebound. 

Bielefeld took a shock lead on 28 minutes as a short corner fell to Christopher Lannert who spectacularly found the top left corner from 25 yards. Fortune seemed to favour the plucky underdogs as they were awarded with a penalty of their own. It seemed incredibly harsh, but Frank Willenborg consulted his VAR monitor and adjudged Gregoritsch of handball. Julian Kania sent Florian Müller the wrong way from the spot. 

A frustrated Schuster made a double change at the break as Vincenzo Grifo replaced Muslija. Meanwhile, Florian Müller never emerged from the dressing room as Noah Atubolu filled in. The Breisgauers managed to snatch a lifeline in the 63rd-minute. Eggestein snaffled possession and fed Dōan whose cross to the back post was steered home by Gregoritsch. 

As the game raced towards the final quarter, Kania had a gilt-edged opportunity to put the game beyond doubt. The swift reactions of Noah Atubolu denied the 23-year-old from 9 yards. Freiburg threw on Weißhaupt and Lienhart late on, but it would be Bielefeld who landed the fatal blow. Corboz fed Louis Oppie who charged forward from left-back to thump the ball inside the left upright leaving Atubolu rooted.