Portuguese Striker Tomás Books Stuttgart's Return to German Cup Final with Dramatic 119th-Minute Winner

VfB Stuttgart will defend its German Cup title against Bayern Munich on May 23 at Berlin's Olympiastadion, after Portuguese striker Tiago Tomás netted a dramatic 119th-minute winner to eliminate SC Freiburg 2-1 in extra time. The 23-year-old forward, who entered the match in the 91st minute, delivered the decisive strike just seconds before a penalty shootout would have been required.

Why This Matters

• Portuguese football export succeeds abroad: Tomás continues his redemption arc in German football, cementing his role at Stuttgart after a winding career path through Sporting CP and Wolfsburg.

• Title defense on the line: Stuttgart, winners of the DFB-Pokal in 2025, will face the competition's most decorated club—Bayern holds 20 titles and is heavily favored.

• Underdog narrative: Despite Bayern securing their second consecutive Bundesliga title earlier this week, Stuttgart's cup form suggests the May 23 final is far from a foregone conclusion.

The Match That Almost Went to Penalties

Stuttgart hosted Freiburg—Sporting Braga's Europa League semifinal opponent—in a tense cup semifinal that required every minute of the 120 available. Freiburg midfielder Maximilian Eggestein opened the scoring in the 28th minute, capitalizing on Stuttgart's slow start. The home side pressed for an equalizer throughout the second half, and after teammate Angelo Stiller had a 61st-minute goal ruled offside, striker Deniz Undav finally broke through in the 70th minute to level the contest at 1-1.

As regulation time expired without further goals, Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeness made a calculated substitution, introducing Tomás for Bosnian forward Ermedin Demirovic. The move proved inspired. With the clock ticking into the final minute of extra time and penalty kicks looming, Tomás broke free and finished clinically to send the home crowd into delirium and book Stuttgart's place in Berlin.

What This Means for Portuguese Football Fans

For followers of Portuguese players abroad, Tomás represents a growing cohort of attackers making their mark in the Bundesliga—Germany's top flight—after mixed starts elsewhere. His journey from Sporting CP's academy to the brink of a second consecutive German Cup final underscores both persistence and adaptability.

Tomás joined Sporting's youth system in 2014 at age 12 and was promoted to the senior squad by then-manager Ruben Amorim during the 2019-20 season. He played a supporting role in Sporting's 2020-21 Primeira Liga title campaign—the club's first league crown in 19 years—and added a Taça da Liga and Supertaça to his trophy case before departing in January 2022. Across 66 official matches for Sporting, he scored 9 goals.

His first stint at Stuttgart came via an 18-month loan in 2022, with the club holding a €14M purchase option they ultimately declined to exercise. Wolfsburg then acquired him for €8.8M in summer 2023, where he spent two seasons and tallied 9 goals in over 35 appearances during his second year.

In August 2025, Stuttgart brought Tomás back on a permanent deal for €13M plus €2M in bonuses, signing him through June 2029. Sporting received approximately €630,000 from the transfer due to a sell-on clause embedded in the original Wolfsburg contract.

Tomás's 2025-26 Campaign by the Numbers

This season, Tomás has featured in 22 Bundesliga matches, recording 4 goals and 3 assists across 841 minutes of league action—translating to 0.43 goals per 90 minutes and 0.75 goal contributions per 90. In the UEFA Europa League, he appeared in 9 games, scoring twice in 476 minutes. His 96 minutes in the DFB-Pokal now include one of the most consequential goals of Stuttgart's campaign.

Primarily deployed as a center forward, Tomás can also operate as a right-sided attacking midfielder. He has collected 3 yellow cards in Bundesliga play this term, committing an average of 1.39 fouls per 90 minutes—a relatively clean disciplinary record for a forward tasked with pressing high.

Despite intermittent injury setbacks and personal challenges, Tomás has totaled 26 appearances, 5 goals, and 2 assists across all competitions, establishing himself as a key rotation option for Hoeness's squad.

Bayern Munich Looms as Heavy Favorite

The final on May 23, 2026, pits the reigning champion against German football's most successful cup side. Bayern advanced to Berlin by defeating Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 on the road earlier this week, days after clinching their second straight Bundesliga title under manager Vincent Kompany. The Bavarian giants are chasing a treble repeat reminiscent of their 2019-20 campaign, having already secured the league and remaining alive in the UEFA Champions League.

Historical precedent favors Bayern: in 10 previous DFB-Pokal encounters with Stuttgart, Bayern has lost just once. Most memorably, Bayern defeated Stuttgart 5-2 in the 1986 final and 3-2 in the 2013 final, the latter sealing that season's treble. Early odds for the 2026 final reflect this dominance, with bookmakers assigning Bayern a 71.3% win probability versus 12.9% for Stuttgart and 15.8% for a draw.

Still, Stuttgart enters the final with momentum and recent pedigree. The club sits fourth in the Bundesliga for 2025-26, positioned for a return to the Champions League, and demonstrated last year that it can prevail in high-pressure knockout scenarios. Manager Hoeness, nephew of Bayern legend Uli Hoeness, will relish the opportunity to spoil his family's former club's treble ambitions.

Impact on Expats & Investors

For Portuguese expatriates in Germany—or those considering relocation—the visibility of players like Tomás in top-tier German football signals both the strength of Portugal's player development pipeline and the cultural exchange facilitated by the European Union's freedom of movement. Stuttgart, located in the prosperous Baden-Württemberg region, hosts a sizable international community attracted by the area's automotive and engineering sectors.

Sporting events of this magnitude also drive short-term economic activity: Berlin's Olympiastadion seats over 74,000, and the final traditionally draws significant tourism and hospitality spending. Portuguese supporters planning to attend should note that match tickets typically go on public sale in early May, with prices ranging from approximately €50 to €200 depending on seating category.

The Road to Berlin

Stuttgart's cup run has been defined by narrow escapes and late drama. Beyond the semifinal heroics, the team navigated earlier rounds with a blend of squad rotation and tactical discipline, leveraging its depth to compete across four competitions this season. The decision to re-sign Tomás—once deemed surplus to requirements—has vindicated sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth, who structured the deal to include performance incentives that reward both goals and silverware.

Bayern, meanwhile, approaches the final as the prohibitive favorite but aware that cup finals rarely follow script. Kompany's side has shown occasional vulnerability in knockout football this season, and Stuttgart's ability to absorb pressure and strike late could prove decisive if the match reaches extra time again.

What Comes Next

The DFB-Pokal final on May 23 represents the culmination of Germany's domestic cup season and one of the country's most-watched annual sporting events. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 PM local time (9:00 PM in Portugal), with live broadcast available across major European networks.

For Tomás, the final offers a chance to add another major trophy to his collection and further establish his credentials as a reliable goal scorer in one of Europe's top five leagues. For Stuttgart, victory would mark back-to-back cup triumphs and provide a launching pad for sustained success under Hoeness's leadership.

Bayern's treble chase, however, remains the dominant storyline. Should they lift the cup in Berlin and advance deep into the Champions League, Kompany will have matched the club's historic 2019-20 season in his debut campaign—a feat that would silence any remaining doubts about his appointment. Stuttgart, cast once again as the spoiler, will need every ounce of the resilience and opportunism that carried them past Freiburg if they hope to retain their title against Germany's modern dynasty.