Despite the cup exit, Kniat remains proud: "I only know the team like this."
Last year's finalist Arminia Bielefeld was eliminated in the second round of the 2025/26 DFB Cup. Despite a 1-2 extra-time defeat against Union Berlin, the second-division side put up a very good fight. The mood among the coach and players reflected this disappointment.
In conversation: Coach Mitch Kniat (left) and his captain Mael Corboz at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. IMAGO/Jan Huebner
"I can't fault my team," said Mitch Kniat to Sky after the cup exit in Köpenick. "It's tough when you have to play with ten men at the end," the Bielefeld coach added, referring to the fact that substitute Marvin Mehlem had injured his right Achilles tendon so badly while taking a shot on the turn near the edge of his own penalty area shortly before the end of the first half of extra time that he was unable to continue playing.
Kniat had no further information regarding Mehlem's health. "He said that something cracked a bit, but it needs to be examined first."
Both coaches had already used all five substitutions. Bielefeld, whose sensational cup run in 2024/25 as a third-division team (including a home win in the second round against Union ) only ended in the final against Stuttgart (2:4) , had to spend the remainder of the first half and the entire second half of extra time with ten men.
"We are very disappointed," said Mael Corboz . "We had high expectations within the team and also realized that something was possible. But if you want to beat a Bundesliga team, you have to be very efficient," analyzed the Bielefeld captain.
Stolzer Kniat: "We succeed through diligence and hard work"Jonas Kersken made no secret of the fact that he saw Mehlem's injury as a key moment in the game. "In the end, it's just incredibly frustrating. When there's such a mismatch at the far post, another player would certainly have helped us," said the goalkeeper, referring to the circumstances surrounding the decisive goal that made it 1-2.
Despite all the disappointment, Kersken also saw many positives: "I'm incredibly proud, we put on a fantastic cup fight." Looking at his team's hard work and high mileage, Kniat was also far from dissatisfied – apart from the result: "That's the only way I know this team. We get what we want through hard work and dedication. We also play good football, even if we didn't see it today. But it was still a great match from us. Now we say goodbye to the competition we love so much."
