Arminia Bielefeld caused a big upset by beating Werder Bremen 2-1 at the SchücoArena, securing their place in the semi-finals of the 2024/25 DFB-Pokal. This win marked their third consecutive elimination of a Bundesliga team in the competition.
Having already knocked out three higher-ranked teams, Arminia started the game with confidence, but Werder Bremen managed to hold firm against their constant crosses. After a shaky start in the opening 15 minutes, Bremen began to look more threatening. Marvin Ducksch’s low cross forced a last-minute interception from Jonas Kersken, preventing André Silva from scoring.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZiBhv9emDQ
Arminia started to create more chances as their crosses began to find their targets. Joel Felix came close with a diving header that was just off target. Soon after, Werder were caught off guard when Julián Malatini lost possession to Marius Wörl, who took advantage of the mistake and curled the ball into the net off the post to put Arminia ahead. Just before half-time, things got worse for Bremen when Malatini accidentally volleyed Stefano Russo’s cross into his own net, making it 2-0.
Werder, six-time German Cup winners, needed a quick response after the break, and their substitutes made an impact. Leonardo Bittencourt played a brilliant chip over the Arminia defence, allowing Oliver Burke to score with a powerful half-volley. However, Arminia stood strong as Werder pushed forward, desperately trying to avoid their fourth straight defeat. Bremen had a big chance when Justin Njinmah missed from close range.
With the home crowd cheering them on, Arminia defended resolutely in the final 10 minutes, surviving a late scare when Amos Pieper hit the crossbar. A disallowed goal for Arminia in stoppage time didn’t matter as they held on for a historic victory, reaching their first DFB-Pokal semi-final since 2014/15. The defeat was a tough blow for Werder, who are now on their longest losing streak since March 2024.
