(Football news) RB Leipzig defeated Freiburg 4-2 on penalties in a very entertaining German Cup final on Saturday, as Domenico Tedesco's side won their first major trophy despite playing  10 men for most of the match in Berlin's Olympic stadium. Freiburg's captain Christian Guenter and Ermedin Demirovic both missed their penalty kicks to seal a thrilling win after the clash had ended 1-1 after extra time.

Maximilian Eggestein had put Freiburg in front in the 19th minute with a brilliant low shot from the edge of the box, the goal stood following a VAR review for a potential handball in the build-up. Leipzig then came close to equalising five minutes later after Christopher Nkunku's rebound from close range beat goalkeeper Mark Flekken, but defender Nico Schlotterbeck made a brilliant goal line clearance. However, when Freiburg fans thought that they won the DFB Pokal cup as all the fans started chanting and lighting up flares, Nkunku went onto spoil their party with a 76th-minute equaliser

The 24-year-old France international, who was recently voted as Bundesliga player of the season, beating the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland for the converted title. Nkunku bundled the ball over the line after a precise header from Willi Orban found him unmarked. The late equaliser poured life into Leipzig’s game, they played with one man down from the 57th minute following a red card shown to defender Marcel Halstenberg for a dangerous tackle on Freiburg forward Lucas Hoeler. Both sides had chances to win the game at the end of normal time, while Freiburg came even closer when they hit the post twice and struck the bar in the extra time period.

Leipzig, on the other hand, were denied a clear penalty after a foul on midfielder Dani Olmo, but VAR deemed it as a clear tackle in the frenetic dying minutes as substitute Kevin Kampl received a second yellow card for his protests against the decision. Leipzig finally got their hands on the trophy for the first time after they finished runners-up in 2018-19 and 2020-21 season’s. The victory meant that they sealed a position in next season's Europa League but they had already secured a fourth straight season in the Champions League after they finished 4th in the Bundesliga. Freiburg enjoyed one of their best season’s in the club's history but couldn’t end the season with the trophy. Their sixth-placed finish in the Bundesliga sees them return to the Europa League for the first time since 2013. It also means seventh-placed FC Koln will go into the Europa Conference League playoffs.

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