Freiburg squeezed into the German Cup semi‑finals after a 5–4 penalty shootout win at Hertha Berlin on Wednesday, following a 1–1 draw after extra time.
After a goalless 90 minutes, Yuito Suzuki finally broke the deadlock in extra time, only for Hertha captain Fabian Reese to equalise with a superb long-range strike.
Freiburg goalkeeper Florian Mueller then saved Pascal Klemens' spot-kick in the shootout to send his side through, joining Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart in the last four.
Bayern Munich host RB Leipzig on Wednesday in the other quarterfinal.
Hertha welcomed 2022 runners‑up Freiburg to Berlin hoping to reach a German Cup final on home soil for the first time in their history.
A close offside call ruled out an early effort from Reese, while the visitors did not have a solid chance until the 70th minute, when Vincenzo Grifo's deflected shot flew just wide.
Six minutes into extra time, Hertha's Linus Gechter gifted Suzuki the ball with a poor back-pass, and the Japan international pounced to put the visitors in front.
Hertha hit back through Reese, who drilled in a magnificent strike from outside the area, but Freiburg ultimately had the final say in the shootout.