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Leverkusen end Saarbruecken German Cup fairy-tale

Saarbrueken’s unprecedented German Cup run came to an end at the semi-finals on Tuesday night after a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen.

The fourth-tier side, whose last competitive match was in March, beat top-flight clubs Cologne and Fortuna Duesseldorf on their way to becoming the first team from that level to reach the last four of the cup.

Saarbruecken coach Lukas Kwasniok had said a place in the July final at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium would be tantamount to the “rebirth of Jesus”, but there was no miracle on Tuesday.

They were comfortably dealt with by Leverkusen, who are chasing a spot in next season’s Champions League and were in the driving seat from the get go at Saarbruecken’s tiny, empty ground in southwestern Germany.

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The away side were quickly two ahead thanks to goals from Moussa Diaby and Lucas Alario within the first 20 minutes.

Both were set up by Kerem Demirbay, whose pass for Diaby’s opener in particular highlighted the gulf in class between the two teams.

The hosts never recovered from that early blow, and just before the hour mark Leverkusen struck a third, with Demirbay once again the man to lay on the decisive pass for Bellarabi to smash home.

The defeat would have been heavier had Paulinho not missed several good chances to beat Saarbruecken’s impressive goalkeeper Daniel Batz, who saved five penalties in his team’s quarter-final win over Duesseldorf and made some good stops on Tuesday.

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Leverkusen will now take on one of Bayern Munich or Eintracht Frankfurt, who face off at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, in the final on July 4. – worldfootball.net

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WAFU B U20: Ghana’s Jerry Afriyie crowned MVP in semi-final win over Cote D’voire

Ghana U20 striker Jerry Afriyie was crowned Man of the Match in the side’s come back 2-1 win over Cote D’voire in the WAFU B U20 Semi-final on Sunday October 27, 2024 in Togo.

The talented striker, who is the leading top scorer with four goals, scored a magnificent spot kick to complete the comeback win for the Black Satellites at the Stade Municipal.

The Black Satellites will be making a return to the AFCON Championship next year after winning the title in 2021 under Abdul Karim Zito.

It was an incredible finish to an afternoon that began badly for Ghana as Konan Loukou gave the Ivorians an early lead before the Ghanaians pulled parity from a deflected corner kick to end the first half, before Jerry Afriyie sealed victory from the spot kick.

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The win ensured the Black Satellites qualification to the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations.

The WAFU B U20 Championship serves as the qualification for the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations, with only the finalists going through.

This 2025 U20 AFCON will also serve as the African qualifiers for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, where the four semi-finalists will qualify automatically.

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Ghana to face rivals Nigeria in epic 2024 WAFU B U20 Final

Ghana and Nigeria will face off in the WAFU B U20 Final after the two West African giants dispatched their respective semi-final opponents in Togo on Sunday October 27, 2024.

The Black Satellites produced a sensational comeback 2-1 win over Cote D’voire in the first semi-final at the Stade Municipal before Nigeria also rallied from behind to beat Niger 3-1 in the second semi-final match.

Ghana and Nigeria will renew their long-standing rivalry in Wednesday’s Final at the Stade de Kégué.

Desmond Ofei’s side will be hoping to go one step further by reclaiming the sub-regional title from defending champions Nigeria.

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The WAFU B U20 Championship serves as the qualification for the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations, with only Ghana and Nigeria going through.

This 2025 U20 AFCON will also serve as the African qualifiers for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, where the four semi-finalists will qualify automatically.

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