When VfB went up against Arminia Bielefeld in the final of the DFB Cup at Berlin’s Olympiastadion on 24 May last year, it was the last of 49 competitive matches in the 2024/25 season. A long and arduous campaign in three competitions, which produced many stories over the course of several months. What started with the Supercup defeat in Leverkusen in August concluded in a thrilling climax in Berlin.
VfB were handed a trip to SC Preußen Münster in the first round and got the job done with no problems, winning 5-0. The Cannstatt boys marched on through the next rounds too, seeing off two more second-tier sides in Kaiserslautern (2-1) and Jahn Regensburg (3-0). Like the previous two seasons, VfB were through to the quarter-finals.
Standout performers
One key factor in the previous cup campaign was certainly the output of Nick Woltemade, who scored in each of the first three games and also provided an assist in Regensburg. After missing the quarter-final against Augsburg due to illness, the 23-year-old was among the goals again in the semi-final against RB Leipzig (3-1) and the final against Bielefeld (4-2). The striker, who moved to English Premier League club Newcastle United at the start of this season, ended as the top scorer in the competition with five goals. The towering forward wasn’t the only one who could be relied upon, though.
The settled midfield duo of Atakan Karazor and Angelo Stiller played 474 and 454 of the total 540 cup minutes respectively, the most of all VfB players. Stiller, who also scored an important goal with a long-range strike against Leipzig, tops the ranking for touches of the ball in the current cup season with 483. And there’s one other performance that shouldn’t be forgotten: Alexander Nübel played out of his skin in the semi-final against Leipzig and frustrated the opponents’ attack with several saves.
Team spirit the key
However, the greatest story was written by the team together – with their incredible spirit. “I’m very proud of the team, of the performance and of what we’ve achieved together,” said head coach Sebastian Hoeneß after the triumph in Berlin. “A big compliment also to the fans for how they’ve supported us – the atmosphere was beyond words.”
