German Cup semi-final: 2022 Final reloaded


Magazine, 02.05.2023

Freiburg vs. Leipzig. Sounds familiar! Same teams, different year. The last time Freiburg and Leipzig – two elite Bundesliga teams – contested a men’s Cup match, it was the German Cup Final in Berlin in 2022. Ever since, Freiburg has had a score to settle with Leipzig.

ERGO DFB Halbfinale Freiburg Leipzig

In May of last year, the team led by idolised coach Christian Streich fell short by a razor-thin mar-gin in a penalty shoot-out against Leipzig, thus missing out on a historic victory. Their Cup semi-final might just be a similarly thrilling rematch.

Eager for Berlin

Freiburg took a big step closer to playing in the Cup Final in Berlin with a surprising away win in its quarter-final against FC Bayern Munich, the champion of Bundesliga champions. The game could hardly have ended more dramatically: After a handball in stoppage time, Lucas Höler converted the penalty kick to make the final score 2-1. RB Leipzig also beat a German Cup favourite in the round of eight, convincingly defeating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at home. When Freiburg and Leipzig go head to head, each team will clearly be eager to advance to the Cup Final in Berlin.

The big question in the other semi-final will be: Is relegation candidate VfB Stuttgart truly the eas-iest remaining opponent for Eintracht Frankfurt’s excellent team? History shows that outsiders offer surprising performances time and again in the German Cup.

Statistics favour the underdog

Stuttgart, which will host Frankfurt, not only wants to prolong its dream of scoring a Cup coup in Berlin; it will also be seeking to boost its self-confidence as it battles to remain in Germany’s top football league. In three German Cup matches, Eintracht Frankfurt has lost twice to Stuttgart. At least in statistical terms, the purported underdog is already ahead.

The prime-time matches on Tuesday and Wednesday will be broadcast on free TV. As a German Football Association (DFB) sponsor, ERGO will once again be showcased in electronic perimeter advertising, among other things. Accompanied by the referees, an ERGO match-ball kid will carry the ball onto the pitch before each semi-final. By the way, a prize drawing hosted on the websites of ERGO sales partners will grant two lucky children the unforgettable experience of being match-ball kids.

The semi-final matches

Tuesday, 2 May 2023

  • SC Freiburg – RB Leipzig (kick-off: 8.45 p.m. / on the German TV channel ZDF)

Wednesday, 3 May 2023

  • VfB Stuttgart – Eintracht Frankfurt (kick-off: 8.45 p.m. / on the German TV channel ARD)
Official Insurance Partner of the German Football Association

Since January 2022, ERGO has significantly expanded its partnership with the German Football Association and is now its Official Insurance Partner. ERGO supports both the German men’s and women’s national teams, the under-21 squad, the DFB Academy and the amateur football portal FUSSBALL.DE.

This new, broad-based alliance complements the existing partnership regarding the DFB men’s and women’s cup finals, which has also been extended through the summer of 2026. In addition, ERGO remains the title sponsor of the DFB-ePokal powered by ERGO, the world’s only eFootball cup competition for amateur and professional gamers.

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