1. FC Kaiserslautern celebrated triumph in the DFB Cup final in 1990 and 1996. There were also memorable games for the traditional club.
In its eighth participation in a DFB Cup final after 1961, 1972, 1976, 1981, 1990, 1996 and 2003, 1. FC Kaiserslautern wants to create a sensation. With a win against the highly favored German champions Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday (8 p.m./ARD and Sky) in Berlin, the Red Devils can bring the trophy to the Palatinate for the third time. In the 1981 final, current coach Friedhelm Funkel was a FCK player. The duel with Eintracht Frankfurt, which was lost 1:3, took place in Stuttgart. Further highlights from the club’s history:
Labbadia and Kuntz meet in the final in 1990
The final nine years later, at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, was more positive for the Lautern team. Under coach Karl-Heinz Feldkamp, the FCK had just avoided relegation from the Bundesliga and was then an outsider in the DFB Cup final. In the match on May 19, 1990 against Werder Bremen, coached by later FCK championship coach Otto Rehhagel, the Palatinate team were already leading 3-0 after 30 minutes thanks to two goals from Bruno Labbadia and one from Stefan Kuntz, and won 3-2.
As a relegated DFB Cup winner
In 1996, Kaiserslautern, which had been relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time a week earlier, travelled to the capital as underdogs again – and won again. Martin Wagner was the celebrated player when he converted a free kick to score the winning goal against Karlsruher SC just before half-time on May 25th. Although FCK had to finish the match with a man down after Andreas Brehme, who died in February of this year, was sent off, they managed to hold on to the win. It was the last cup win for the Palatinate team to date.
Semi-final triumph against Leverkusen
The Red Devils have fond memories of their current final opponents Leverkusen: The club has played one of its biggest cup matches of the past ten years with Bayer. In February 2014, FCK, a second division team, won 1-0 in Leverkusen after extra time and moved into the semi-finals. The winning goal scorer Ruben Jenssen is still remembered by fans to this day.
Victories against Mainz and Saarbrücken as celebration days
The fact that, of all teams, southwest rival 1. FC Saarbrücken was defeated 2-0 in the semi-finals of this year’s competition is the last highlight of Kaiserslautern’s cup history for now. Derby victories in this competition are something special in Kaiserslautern anyway. When FCK, then a third division team, knocked FSV Mainz 05 out of the competition 2-0 in August 2019, the fans in the Fritz-Walter-Stadion celebrated wildly.
Source: Stern
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