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LIVE TICKER

DFB Cup

Bayer Leverkusen - Fortuna Dusseldorf 4:0

8:30 p.m

Friends, Bayer Leverkusen is preparing to win a trophy. But now Fortuna Düsseldorf is waiting. The Rhine derby of the little, somewhat uncool man. First division team versus second division team. Favorite against outsider. Ticking for you: Giosue “the hope” Tolu and Tobi “dies last” Ahrens.

8:33 p.m

Simon Rolfes is not deterred by his opponent. “I would be surprised if they park the bus today.” Of course: you can get from Düsseldorf to Leverkusen much faster with the S6.

8:35 p.m

Another quick look at the initial situation:

8:37 p.m

Xabi Alonso has lived in Madrid, in Liverpool, in Munich. Now he stands with Boris Büchler and says: “Everyone wants to go to Berlin.” And after seven years in this godforsaken city, I call out to him: Stay where you are! Stay!

8:38 p.m

Both teams are obviously extremely keen to get to the final. After all, 1. FC Kaiserslautern is waiting there. Although, to be honest, I'm a bit surprised that byes are being given so late in the tournament.

8:40 p.m

Claudia Neumann welcomes the spectators and immediately makes it clear: “The BayArena has developed into a house of joy.” I mean: Yes, the players earn a lot of money and it is still Leverkusen. But that doesn't mean you have to talk about prostitution straight away.

8:41 p.m

It's very bitter for Fortuna Düsseldorf that the team has to do without Ao Tanaka. Japanese international, reliable, experienced worker. Or as they say in Leverkusen: Hmm, who?

8:43 p.m

Fortuna's fans with a beautiful choreo: "Our faith lives as long as your flag flies." A nice greeting to Campino.

1.

Kick-off. For me, Leverkusen are now clear favorites for the title after the exit from Saarbrücken.

2.

Claudia Neumann: “We are looking for the opponent of 1. FC Kaiserslautern.” Here he is:

4.

My opinion: For fun, the final could simply take place in Saarbrücken. For me, the stadium now simply belongs to the DFB Cup. And maybe the Leverkusen team will then get the ball rolling.

7.

Because I have no doubt that they will reach the final. And the Leverkusen team themselves apparently don't either. Goal! 1:0. Xhaka plays to Schick, who passes it on to Frimpong in the Düsseldorf penalty area. He hits the ball uncompromisingly into the goal. Fortuna must now hope that she will support her.

8th.

Neumann: “Fortuna is also there.” That's probably pretty good.

11.

Personally, I liked Xhaka better when he didn't score wonderful goals with overview and finesse, but instead missed every sixth game because he was waist-high past opposing playmakers. Granit, what has ruined you so much?

13.

What we can say: There are already, well, glimpses of differences from yesterday's semi-final in Saarbrücken. An example: today, it's hard to believe that passes reach the teammate.

15.

Yesterday was something for one-two viewers (the broadcast, not the tactical game element). Today it's more of a tactical blogger type of semi-final. In the end everyone has to know for themselves...

18.

Tactics blogger when left-back Grimaldo moves inside:

20.

GOAL for Leverkusen! 2-0! Because Fortuna Düsseldorf moves up for a brief moment and Florian Wirtz gets the ball in his own half. The rest is then ICE mode: super fast, everything feels like it's on rails and in the end Amine Adli just has to get on the track. Next stop: Berlin.

22.

0:2 from Düsseldorf's perspective. And somewhere in the box Campino sits and sadly sings “Just visiting”.

24.

Bayer Leverkusen here in the style of a top team. So a top team that is not coached by Thomas Tuchel or Edin Terzic.

26.

Oh, Fortunas Iyoha loses the ball to Frimpong on the edge of his own box. Doesn't look good at all. And at least, just for the sake of perspective, the man looked like this:

28.

No, seriously, I think the Fortuna sells expensively for such a blatant outsider. But Claudia Neumann could slowly tell you what the bustling six does for a living.

30.

No question, Fortuna Düsseldorf has to hope for a miracle here. And by miracle I mean that all eleven Leverkusen players feel a pull in their thigh at the same time, the substitutes spontaneously come down with the flu, and Xabi Alonso is forced to substitute the untalented bus driver. And even then, Düsseldorf would still need two own goals and some luck.

32.

+++ RAPID: According to 11FREUNDE information, those responsible at 1. FC Kaiserslautern have just spontaneously noticed that they unfortunately cannot come to Berlin on the day of the DFB Cup final due to scheduling reasons because there is a game against the Allgäuer-Latschenkiefer-Traditionelself taking place at the same time Please understand, especially since Thomas Hengen's aunt has her birthday that day and in any case: Congratulations, Bayer Leverkusen, on winning the cup. +++

35.

Oh dear, bad pass from Fortuna's goalkeeper Kastenmeier directly into Andrich's feet. Andrich hands it off to Adli, who lays it off for Flo Wirtz. 3-0 for Leverkusen. However, the cheering spectators in the BayArena look more like cheerful, drunken employees at a boring company party. On the other hand, there are also cheerful, drunken employees at a boring company party.

36.

Now you need a good portion of Fortuna Duseldorf.

39.

Claudia Neumann says that Florian Kastenmeier is “actually” a good footballer. I think a goalkeeper doesn't have to be a good footballer if his name is Kastenmeier.

43.

I praise my VfL Bochum, who were eliminated in style in the first round on penalties against Arminia Bielefeld instead of letting Leverkusen nail them to the Bayer Cross within 30 minutes.

45. +1

Critical solidarity with Bayer Leverkusen because they spare us a performance by the Toten Hosen in the Olympic Stadium.

9:32 p.m.

Break. Neumann: “We are excited to see what spectacle the second round has in store for us.” The spectacle: three ball contacts from Fortuna Düsseldorf in the opposing half.

9:50 p.m

During the break, the scene went through my head when, as a D-youth, I was dribbling at a youth Whitsun tournament. I thought we were unbeatable, on the way to the district championship, I wore the number 10, just waiting for the call from Real Madrid - or at least Hannover 96. When we were beaten green and blue by Werder Bremen within 25 minutes. We lost 5-0, never had the ball and certainly never had a chance to score. As we crept off the pitch, I heard the Werder coach say to our parents: “This is the D3. The second one is in Nuremberg, the D1 plays in Prague.” And well, all the best, Daniel Thioune.

46.

Bad news for Düsseldorf: Let's move on.

48.

Ugly scenes right at the beginning: Leverkusen just keep playing football. In this form it's not the game we all love, I'll make up my mind.

50.

On the other hand: It's your own fault for provoking your opponent like that, Florian Kastenmeier.

52.

Now Bayer Leverkusen can only beat themselves... Oh.

54.

75 percent ball possession for Leverkusen. Do we have to talk about wealth tax again in German football?

56.

Goal chance for Düsseldorf! Because Mustapha lets a ball through and Tzolis gets to the ball, but overall like two golden hamsters when they escape from the cage. Rather harmless.

58.

Zimmermann receives the header from Schick, Christian Dingert goes into the VAR area, you can watch him weigh up the rules and pity. Then he decides on a penalty. Football, bloody hell.

60.

GOOD for Leverkusen! 4:0! Because Florian Wirtz stays cool from the point. And somewhere Reiner Calmund is booking tickets for the cup final.

62.

Bayer 4-0 Leverkusen.

65.

By the way, the Leverkusen fans have been chanting insults against the Düsseldorf guests since the start of the game. I can't take it seriously. It's a derby, yes, but more like the little man's Rhenish derby. The small, somewhat uncool and irrelevant man.

68.

Apart from their location on the Rhine, the clubs have one thing in common. Both regularly have to beg their spectators to come to the stadium. In Leverkusen last season, in addition to the Conference League ticket, they offered people a scarf, a bratwurst, a packet of Aspirin Complex blessed by Don Alonso and a nose hair from Rudi Völler in order to somehow get rid of their tickets. And in Düsseldorf they occasionally let spectators into the “stadium” parking garage called Merkur-Spiel-Arena for free. As if money were failing in Düsseldorf of all places…

72.

Meanwhile, Friedhelm Funkel sits in front of the television, chews on a pencil, takes notes and finally formulates the match plan: "Give the knight the pill and then we'll see."

75.

My buddy: "Are you interested in coming to the club? They also have a very relaxed door."

The door:

79.

Funkel vs. Alonso sounds like a stupid idea like Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson.

84.

Dear Lautern fans, I'll put it this way: Going to Berlin specifically to get beaten up - you can do that in some clubs for less money than you have to pay for the cup final.

86.

The LaOla wave is sweeping through the BayArena. At least you don't have to remember complicated 50+1 exceptions to know why you'll always hate this club a little.

88.

“Hincapie against Siebert,” says Neumann. And I thought Dingert was whistling?!

90.

And that's what he does, more precisely: Dingert blows the whistle and does so without any added time. If compassion needed a symbol, it would be the punctual final whistle after 90 minutes. My opinion.

10:39 p.m

The last thing the DFB Cup sees before it is presented.

10:41 p.m

I'm making a decision: Bayer Leverkusen against Kaiserslautern is exactly the cup final that the 2.9 million people who fought for Stefan Raab's comeback deserve.

10:44 p.m

Friends, Bayer Leverkusen is, as expected, in the DFB Cup final. I would like to write: That's it. But let's be honest, this game reminded me too much of my French vocabulary tests in grade 7. Hopeless too early, decided too early. In this sense: Au revoir!