Inside Europe’s biggest giant killers with third tier side in major cup final after shocking FOUR Bundesliga teams

YOU might not be aware of German third-tier side Arminia Bielefeld.

But the minnows have certainly made themselves known to the top dogs.

EPA

Arminia Bielefeld beat Bayer Leverkusen to reach the final of the DFB Pokal on Tuesday[/caption]

EPA

It was the fourth time the third-tier side beat a Bundesliga club in the competition this season[/caption]

AFP

Arminia currently play in the third tier of German football[/caption]

Getty

Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso was left furious[/caption]

Arminia booked a spot in the DFB Pokal final on Tuesday after beating reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen at SchücoArena.

The third tier outfit stunned Xabi Alonso and Co with a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Marius Worl and Maximilian Grosser.

It was the third top-tier team Arminia had beat in the competition.

They defeated Union Berlin 2-0 in the second round before seeing off SC Freiburg in the last-16 in December.

The Blues went on to beat Werder Bremen in the quarter-finals to secure a semi-final meeting with Bayer Leverkusen.

They will now face either Stuttgart or RB Leipzig in the final of the competition.

Third-tier outfit Arminia have become the first team outside the top two divisions to knock four Bundesliga sides out of the German Cup in one season.

WHO ARE ARMINIA BIELEFELD?

Established in 1905, Arminia are based in the city of Bielefeld in northwestern Germany.

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The Blues have participated in the Bundesliga for a total of 19 seasons so far since being founded.

They last found themselves in the league during the 2021-22 campaign.

Arminia were relegated to the 2. Bundesliga – the second tier of German football – at the end of that season after finishing 17th in the table.

They subsequently finished 16th the following term and lost the relegation playoff to Wehen Wiesbaden.

It meant the Blues dropped down to the 3. Liga – the third tier of German football – in back-to-back relegations.

And they have not been promoted since.

Arminia play their home games at the SchücoArena, a 27,000-seater stadium in Bielefeld.

EPA

Arminia have suffered back-to-back relegations in recent years[/caption]

WHO IS THE MANAGER?

Michel Kniat is the manager of Arminia Bielefeld.

The 39-year-old played as a centre-back in Germany before becoming a coach.

He took over at Arminia back in 2023.

After the semi-final win, Kniat said: “I am so proud of the team.

“The whole region is feeling this. No one will be sleeping tonight.

“We defended with a lot of passion and that was the key. We worked extremely hard.”

Arminia have become the fourth team from the third division to reach the German Cup final.

Hertha Berlin’s reserve team achieved the feat in 1993, followed by Energie Cottbus in 1997 and Union Berlin in 2001.

Reuters

Michel Kniat has led the team to the historic achievement[/caption]