Bayern Munich players celebrate their penalty shootout win over Bayer Leverkusen in their German Cup quarter-final clash on Wednesday. Bayern won 5-3 after the game finished goalless after extra time. (AFP)

AFP/Berlin

Holders Bayern Munich reached the German Cup semi-finals after beating Bayer Leverkusen 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out on Wednesday as their last eight clash finished goalless after extra time.
Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was Bayern’s hero at Leverkusen’s BayArena after he saved Swiss striker Josip Drmic’s first spot-kick penalty to give Bayern the advantage.
Thomas Mueller, Robert Lewandowski, Xabi Alonso, Mario Goetze and finally Thiago Alcantara, who is just back from a year’s absence with injury, all then drilled home their spot kicks to put Munich in the last four.
Bayern will join Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg and third-division Arminia Bielefeld in the semi-finals.
Both Munich and Leverkusen had a string of chances over the 120 minutes during a nervy cup battle.
Only good saves from Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno denied Mueller, Goetze and Lewandowski, who had a second-half goal ruled offside.
Leverkusen’s Germany winger Karim Bellarabi was a constant menace to the Bayern defence and presented Julian Brandt with an open goal at the end of the 90 minutes, but the 18-year-old failed to connect.
The Germany Under-19 international then fired wide in the 118th minute with just Neuer to beat as Leverkusen were left to rue what might have been.
Earlier, minnows Bielefeld produced a classic German Cup upset by knocking out Bundesliga high-fliers Borussia Moenchengladbach as their quarter-final was also decided by a penalty shoot-out.
Lucien Favre’s Gladbach, who are set to play Champions League football next season, become the third Bundesliga side after Werder Bremen and Hertha Berlin to lose to Arminia on their march to the semi-finals. Bielefeld held their nerve to win the penalty shoot-out 5-4 as it finished 1-1 after extra-time.
Arminia took the lead at their sold-out Schueco-Arena after midfielder Manuel Junglas fired home with 26 minutes gone.
But Gladbach, who are third in the Bundesliga table, drew level six minutes later when striker Max Kruse converted a penalty.
Third-division leader Bielefeld will pick up at least two million euros ($2.1m) for reaching the semi-finals on April 28 and 29 with the final in Berlin on May 30.
On Tuesday, a thunderbolt of a shot from veteran midfielder Sebastian Kehl sealed Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 extra-time win over Hoffenheim to book their place in the last four.
The 35-year-old Kehl’s speculative half-volley flew perfectly off his boot and into the Hoffenheim net on 107 minutes to put Dortmund in the semi-finals for the third time in four years.
Dortmund had taken an early lead but Neven Subotic’s 19th-minute goal was cancelled out by Hoffenheim’s Kevin Volland just 102 seconds later.
Brazil international Roberto Firmino put Hoffenheim 2-1 up at half-time before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalised midway through the second-half as it stayed 2-2 at the end of normal time.