Staff Reporter.
Bayer Leverkusen set up a German Cup final with Kaiserslautern by thrashing second-tier Fortuna Dusseldorf in their semi-final.
Goals from Jeremie Frimpong and Amine Adil gave Bundesliga leaders Leverkusen a comfortable lead inside 20 minutes.
Florian Wirtz then netted twice either side of half-time, with his second goal from the penalty spot, to complete a dominant display.
Leverkusen’s sole German Cup win in 1993 was the club’s last major trophy.
Kaiserslautern beat third-tier Saarbrucken 2-0 in their semi-final on Tuesday.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen remain unbeaten this season and in the hunt to win three trophies.
Leverkusen last reached the DFB-Pokal final in 2020 when they lost 4-2 to Bayern Munich.
Dusseldorf, who are third in the second tier, were hoping to reach the cup final for the first time since 1980.
This season’s showpiece takes place on 25 May at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
“It is very important for the last game of the season to be a final,” Alonso, who is staying at Leverkusen despite interest from major European clubs. “We now have a super chance and we are happy.
“It has been a long road. We started back in July with new players. But they have done it well. We show it on the pitch and that is important,” said the Spaniard.
“We now have to enjoy the moment that we have earned the chance to be in the final.”
Leverkusen can clinch the Bundesliga title for the first time earlier than that, however, with a 13-point lead over second-placed Bayern Munich and seven games remaining.