REGENSBURG: Werder Bremen scored early in the second half and survived late pressure to beat second division side Jahn Regensburg 1-0 away on Wednesday in their postponed DFB Pokal quarter-final and set up a last-four clash with RB Leipzig.

Werder will host Leipzig on April 30 in their semi-final with Borussia Dortmund taking on second division’s Holstein Kiel a day later. The final is scheduled to be played in Berlin’s Olympiastadion on May 13.

The game had been postponed in March after several positive coronavirus tests forced Regensburg into quarantine.

The visitors struggled to create chances in the first half but upped the tempo after the break with Niklas Moisander hitting the post with a powerful header and Theodor Gebre Selassie firing over the bar on the rebound.

Their strong start to the second half paid off in the 52nd minute when Yuya Osako latched onto a deep cross, controlled the ball with his chest in the box, turned and volleyed in a superb winner.

The Japanese should have added another goal a little later after good work from Josh Sargent but failed to beat the Regensburg keeper when one-on-one.

Regensburg’s desperate attempts for an equaliser in the final 15 minutes saw them miss several chances, including a triple opportunity in the 89th minute.

It wasn’t a top performance from us, but we just wanted to get to the semi-finals,” Bremen coach Florian Kohfeldt told Sky. I think everyone in Bremen will sleep well tonight.”

Bremen, who won the last of their six German Cup titles back in 2009, have yet to concede a goal in their run to the semi-finals.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2021