Bremen through to final

Goalkeeper Tim Wiese was Werder Bremen's cup hero in a truly gripping game. He saved three penalties in a shoot-out that saw Bremen qualify for the German Cup final 3-1 on penalties after the game had ended 1-1 after extra-time.

Germany defender Per Mertesacker gave the visitors an early lead and Bremen could have added a second goal when a powerful Naldo free-kick was only narrowly saved by Hamburg's keeper Frank Rost. But in the second half it was Ivica Olic who equalized for Hamburg. After the regular 90 minutes the score still stood at 1-1 and the game went into extra time. Soon, Hamburg found themselves with only 10 men on the pitch, as their captain David Jarolim was sent off for a foul on Mesut Oezil.

In the shoot-out it was Werder's goalie Tim Wiese who took centre stage as he saved from Jerome Boateng, Olic and Marcell Jansen. "This was the best night of my football career to date," Wiese said after the game.

It was the first of four meetings between the two northern German rivals in the next three weeks. They will also face each other in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and are set to play in a Bundesliga game in the second week in May.

After the game Hamburg's coach Martin Jol admitted that his side would have to significantly improve their performance if they wanted a shot at beating Werder in the other games. "I am sure they will play even better at home. We have to do better if we want to win against them," Jol said.

In the DFB Cup Bremen are now set to face Bayer Leverkusen in the final in Berlin on May 30. Leverkusen on Tuesday needed extra-time to overcome second division Mainz 4-1.