BERLIN: Freiburg booked their place in the German Cup semi-finals after edging Hertha Berlin 5-4 on penalties on Wednesday, following a 1-1 draw after extra time.
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The quarter-final remained goalless after 90 minutes, with both sides struggling to create clear-cut chances. Hertha thought they had taken an early lead through Fabian Reese, but the effort was ruled out for offside after a tight call.
Freiburg’s best opportunity in regulation time came in the 70th minute when Vincenzo Grifo’s deflected strike drifted narrowly wide.
The breakthrough finally arrived six minutes into extra time when Hertha defender Linus Gechter misplaced a back-pass, allowing Japan international Yuito Suzuki to seize possession and slot home for the visitors.
Hertha responded through captain Fabian Reese, who restored parity with a superb long-range strike from outside the box to force a penalty shootout.
In the decisive moments, Freiburg goalkeeper Florian Mueller emerged as the hero, saving Pascal Klemens’ spot-kick to seal a 5-4 victory in the shootout and send his side into the last four.
Freiburg join Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart in the semi-finals, while Bayern Munich are set to host RB Leipzig in the remaining quarter-final.
Hertha had been aiming to reach a German Cup final on home soil for the first time in their history but fell just short in a tightly contested encounter.
