Published: 10:59, June 10, 2020 | Updated: 00:53, June 6, 2023
Leverkusen down Saarbrucken to book German Cup final
By Xinhua

Leverkusen's Italian forward Lucas Alario (left) and Saarbruecken's Manuel Zeitz vie for the ball during the German Cup (DFB Pokal) semi-final football match 1 FC Saarbruecken v Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Volklingen, southern Germany on June 9, 2020. (RONALD WITTEK / POOL / AFP)

BERLIN - Goals from Moussa Diaby, Lucas Alario and Karim Bellarabi helped Bayer Leverkusen to ease past fourth-division outfit Saarbrucken 3-0 in the German Cup semifinal on Tuesday.

Hosts Saarbrucken started defensively minded into the encounter and kept all their men in their territory.

On Wednesday, German giants Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt play out the last final spot in the German Cup

Leverkusen, which dominated possession and let the ball do the work, took only 11 minutes to break the deadlock on the road as Kerem Demirbay's perfectly timed lob into the box allowed Diaby to poke home from inside the box.

The opener caused some damage as Saarbrucken wobbled while Leverkusen piled on the pressure to force the 2-0 lead eight minutes later as Alario tapped home a blocked shot on target.

Peter Bosz' men controlled the proceedings on the pitch but failed to extend the lead despite promising chances before the break.

After the restart things started where they left off as Leverkusen took the reins whereas Saarbrucken defended deep.

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Even though the hosts focused on their defense, their strategy did not pay off as relentless Leverkusen put the result beyond doubt at the hour mark when Demirbay had all time and space in the box to set up for Bellarabi, who made no mistake to slot home from the edge of the box.

Timm Golley created the chances for the underdogs in the closing period before Leverkusen continued their onslaught.

Despite more presentable chances, the visitors could not overcome Saarbrucken goalkeeper Daniel Batz for a fourth goal.

"We did not stick to our game plan. If they clinically score on their first two chances of the game, that makes things a lot more difficult for us," said Saarbrucken head coach Lukas Kwasniok.

"If you win the semifinal, you definitely want to win the final. My team staged focused performance, and the two quick goals pretty much sealed the deal within 20 minutes," Leverkusen head coach Peter Bosz said.

On Wednesday, German giants Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt play out the last final spot.