Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen defeated second-division Kaiserslautern 1-0 on Saturday to win the DFB-Pokal and complete the club’s first-ever domestic double.
Leverkusen won the Bundesliga unbeaten, a historic achievement. The only blemish on Xabi Alonso’s side’s record this season was a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League final in Dublin on Wednesday.
That ended Leverkusen’s record 51-match unbeaten run in all competitions. It was their only defeat in 53 games this season.
It was Leverkusen’s second German Cup triumph, having won the competition for the first time in 1993.
“At the end of the day, winning like that means we showed spirit, we fought for the fans of the club,” said Alonso. “Winning the double is a great achievement. “We will remember it in the future.”
At Berlin’s Olympiastadion, which will host the Euro 2024 final in July, Leverkusen took the lead in the 16th minute through Granit Xhaka’s 20-metre rocket.
They maintained their intensity even after being reduced to ten men through Odilon Kossounou’s second booking a minute before half-time.
After the break, Kaiserslautern posed little threat as Leverkusen comfortably held on.
Despite numerous chances to put the game beyond Kaiserslautern’s reach, Leverkusen was unable to find the all-important second goal.
However, Leverkusen held on until the 90th minute to secure their second title of the season.
Prior to this season’s Bundesliga title, Leverkusen’s last trophy was the 1993 German Cup.
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