Leverkusen cruise into DFB Cup final

Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Goals: 1-0 Frimpong 7' (assist: Schick), 2-0 Adli 20' (assist: Wirtz), 3-0 Wirtz 35' (assist: Adli), 4-0 Wirtz (pen. 60')

Leverkusen left it very late to preserve their unbeaten record against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga at the weekend, but flew out of the blocks in their semi-final tie. Jeremie Frimpong had already gone close to converting an Álex Grimaldo cross, when he rifled high into the net from inside the Fortuna box with seven minutes on the clock. Robert Andrich fired over, before Florian Wirtz fed Amine Adli for an unerring drive into the bottom corner. Florian Kastenmeier repelled Grimaldo as the barrage continued, but it was the Fortuna stopper's errant pass that gifted the Bundesliga leaders a third goal. Wirtz then supplied the finish to a punishing attacking move that put Bayer in total control at the break.

Leverkusen picked up where they left off after the restart, dictacting proceedings in a veritable game of cat and mouse. There were no takers as Adli sent over a devilish cross, before Andrich drifted a warning shot into the stand behind Kastenmeier's goal. Christos Tzolis finally gave the visiting fans something to cheer with a shot on the turn that forced Matěj Kovář to parry, but normal service was resumed on the hour mark. Moments after heading onto the woodwork, Patrik Schick won a penalty for a handball decision against Matthias Zimmermann. Wirtz duly sunk the ensuing spot-kick as chants of "Berlin, Berlin - we're going to Berlin" reverberated around the BayArena. Alonso's runaway Bundesliga leaders - who are also through to the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals - take on Bundesliga 2 representatives Kaiserslautern in the German capital on 25 May.

Match stats

• Leverkusen have won 35 and drawn five of their 40 matches in all competitions so far this season.
• Wirtz has 31 goal involvements to show for his 38 competitive appearances for B04 in 2023/24 (13 goals, 18 assists).
• Second-half Leverkusen substitute Victor Boniface made his first appearance of 2024, following a groin injury.
• Alonso won the DFB Cup as a Bayern Munich player under Pep Guardiola in 2016, and could follow his former boss as only the second Spanish coach to lift the trophy.
• Bayer are the competition's top scorers this year with 22 goals, beating the previous 19-goal club best from 1988/89.
• The DFB Cup was Leverkusen’s last major honour, won back in 1993. They were runners-up in 2002, 2008 and 2020.

Teams

Leverkusen: Kovář - Stanišić, Tah (c), Tapsoba - Frimpong, Xhaka (Kossounou 78'), Andrich, Grimaldo (Hincapié 71') - Adli (Tella 65'), Wirtz (Hofmann 65') - Schick (Boniface 65')
Unused subs: Hradecky, Palacios, Borja Iglesias, Hlozek
Out: Arthur (thigh)
Coach: Xabi Alonso 

Fortuna: Katsenmeier - Zimmermann (Vermeij 85'), Siebert, Hoffmann (c) (Quarshie 46'), Iyoha (Jastrzembski 76') - Oberdorf, Engelhardt - Klaus (Sobottka 46'), Jóhannesson, Tzolis - Mustapha (Niemiec 65')
Unused subs: Niemczycki, de Wijs, Appelkamp, Daferner
Out: Bunk (collarbone), De Wijs (muscular), Gavory (muscular), Tanaka (appendectomy), Uchino (unconfirmed)
Coach: Daniel Thioune

As it happened!