Tiago Tomás’ spectacular goal in the 119th minute sent Stuttgart back to the German Cup final (DFB Pokal) with a 2-1 win over Freiburg in extra time, keeping the title defense going on Thursday.
In the final in Berlin on May 23, Stuttgart will now try to thwart a domestic double from Bayern Munich, which could become a treble if Vincent Kompany’s team also win the Champions League.
Back-to-back cup finals for Stuttgart couldn’t have been more different, with record-breaking Bayern – who beat Stuttgart 4-2 last weekend – after beating one of the biggest underdogs ever, third-tier Arminia Bielefeld, in the final last year.
Freiburg’s chances of an unusual double ended, but it is still a contender for the Europa League title after reaching the semi-finals.
The match was headed to a penalty shootout when Tomás produced a moment of individual skill by turning in the air between two defenders as a pass from Badredine Bouanani came in and using his back heel to fire the ball past Freiburg’s otherwise excellent goalkeeper Florian Müller.
Tomás celebrated shirtless, holding up a corner flag to the crowd and shaking off the inevitable yellow card. Freiburg pushed for another goal and even sent Müller into the attack after a corner kick, but it was not enough.
“There are not many words to describe what happened,” Tomás said. «I think it’s one of those nights. It will stay in my memory for the rest of my life.»
Earlier, Freiburg took the lead when Maximilian Eggestein tapped Matthias Ginter’s header past the goalkeeper from a corner kick in the 28th minute. Shortly after a goal was disallowed for offside, Stuttgart leveled in the 70th when Undav finished off a counter-attack for his 24th club goal of the season.
Undav became the creator, setting up a series of chances for his teammates as Stuttgart took control, but Müller’s quick reactions kept his team in the match, as Chris Führich had one shot saved just before the match went to extra time, hitting the post shortly afterwards. Freiburg were left sad after Lucas Höler’s goal was disallowed due to a body check on a defender.
Bayern reached the final for the first time since 2020 by beating Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 on Wednesday.
The cup offers the winner a Europa League place, but that will now almost certainly change to an extra place in the standings as Stuttgart is on course to qualify for next season’s Champions League via the Bundesliga.
Published on April 24, 2026
