The second spot in the German Cup final will be decided tonight between Hamburg SV and Werder Bremen. The first club to qualify for the final was Bayer Leverkusen, who beat second-division Mainz 4:1 in overtime on Tuesday.
Mainz, despite playing in the second Bundesliga, proved a tough one to overcome, holding their ground until the 82nd, when Bayer were finally able to open the score through Angelos Charisteas (pictured right). But Mainz leveled the score at the 88th minute through Aristide Bance.
Leverkusen deployed their full power in overtime to score three goals and crush Mainz’s resistance. Midfielder Simon Rolfes (pictured left) earned 23 rating points in the game, joining the Top 23 of the Bundesliga with 115.33 points.
Werder playmaker Diego and Hamburg’s Joris Mathijsen are the only players expected on the pitch today to be in the Bundesliga Top 23. Mathijsen has 104.51 points, while Brazilian Diego has 130.83 points. Diego could win back the top spot in the rating of best midfielders of the Bundesliga if he can earn more than 5.75 rating points in the game. The leader in the rating is Thomas Hitzlsperger with 131.44 points.
© FTBL