Hamburg upsets Bayern on penalties in semifinal

AP - Bayern Munich's preparation for another assault on the Champions League and the Bundesliga title suffered a setback Tuesday when it lost to Hamburger SV in the semifinal of the German League Cup on a penalty shootout.

Michael Ballack converted two penalties, including the game-tying one in injury time for the Bundesliga champion, but had his kick from the spot saved by Hamburg goalkeeper Martin Pieckenhagen in the shootout series to break a 3-3 regulation time deadlock.

Bernardo Romeo had two goals and Christian Rahn set up two to help Hamburg rally from a 1-0 deficit and gain a place in the final against Borussia Dortmund, which edged Stuttgart 1-0 on Monday.

Ballack put Bayern ahead in the 24th minute by converting a penalty after Giovane Elber had been tripped by Bastian Reinhardt in the box.

Rahn broke through on the right and sent a perfect cross for Romeo, who headed past the helpless Oliver Kahn for the equalizer in the 41st.

Romeo struck again in the 51st. His Argentine teammate Rodolfo Cardoso stripped Jens Jeremies of the ball and passed it to Romeo, who beat Kahn with a well-timed shot just inside the right post.

Rahn got his second assist in the 66th, providing another on-target cross for Sergei Barbarez to knock into Kahn's goal.

But just two minutes later, Claudio Pizarro headed over to Elber, who nodded the ball home from close range.

With time running out, Elber earned another penalty and Ballack struck form the spot to tie the game at 3-3 and send it into the shootout. Under German League Cup rules, there was no extra time.

Hamburg won the shootout 4-1, after Owen Hargreaves also missed his shot, sending the ball against the post.

Mehdi Mahdavikia converted the shot that secured Hamburg's victory.

The final is July 28 in Mainz. The six-team competition serves as a warmup for the Bundesliga season, which kicks off Aug. 1.