Leipzig needed extra time on Friday to dispatch Werder Bremen 2-1 in the first semi-final and are awaiting the winner from Saturday’s clash between Borussia Dortmund and Holstein Kiel in the DFB-Pokal final later this month.
Substitute Hwang-Hee Chan opened the scoring for Leipzig in first half extra time but Leonardo Bittencourt equalised for the home side before Emile Forsberg struck at the death to send Nagelsmann’s men through.
Nagelsmann will leave for Bayern Munich at the end of this season, and having reached the Champions League semi-final last season and pushed the Bavarians all the way in the Bundesliga race this term, the 33-year-old will be hoping to end his spell at the Red Bull Arena with silverware.
"I would like to say goodbye with the title," Nagelsmann said. "We hope that we play a good cup final.
"When you see how the guys work so hard after such a turbulent week, of course it's great."
"At the end of the day, the close matches are the best wins," Nagelsmann added.
"It was very emotional and that releases more energy. The boys fought and gave everything.
"The turbulent week had no effect, everyone on the pitch saw that today. The boys had their hearts in the right place and deservedly won."
