Aachen reach German Cup final

Aachen:

Alemannia Aachen's fairytale run in the German Cup continued on Wednesday when they defeated Bundesliga side Borussia Moenchengladbach in the semi-finals. Ivica Grlic's 42nd minute strike earned the second division side a place against Werder Bremen in the final on May the 29th. And with Werder currently looking strong favourites to lift the league title, even defeat in the final will see Aachen in next season's UEFA Cup. After an incredible run that had seen them eliminating mighty Bayern Munich, Wednesday looked like a step too far for Alemannia Aachen in the DFB Pokal (German Cup). The second division side were under intense pressure during the opening stages of their semi-final with Borussia Moenchengladbach of the Bundesliga. Ivo Ulich sounded a warning to Aachen on 12 minutes. Vaclav Sverkos went even closer after 19 minutes, the post coming to the aid of a grateful Stephen Traub in the Aachen goal. After surviving that storm, Aachen started to exert some pressure of their own, much to the delight of most of the 20,400 crowd in the Tivoli Stadium. And in the 42nd minute, Ivica Grlic's precision free-kick put them on course for a date in Berlin on May the 29th. If anything, Aachen improved after break. But with the minutes rapidly seeping away, Borussia were denied a penalty after what appeared a clear case of handball by the Zimbabwean, George Mbwando. The predictable late rally by their supposed betters was weathered and Aachen were through to the final and a meeting with mighty Werder Bremen. It's a win-win situation for Aachen - with Werder well on course to lift the Bundesliga title, Joerg Berger's side should pick up a UEFA Cup spot just for turning up. (AP)