May 14 – Borussia Dortmund clinched the 78th German Cup with Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho spearheading a ruthless BVB to dismantle RB Leipzig 4-1 in a high-octane final.
At an empty Olympiastadion in the German capital Berlin, Dortmund stormed to victory and an unassailable 3-0 lead at half time through a brace from Sancho and a strike from Haaland. The Leipzig defense struggled throughout the 90 minutes to contain the Norwegian striker.
After the break, Leipzig and coach Julian Nagelsmann, who will depart the club this summer to take charge of Bayern Munich, responded by introducing both Yussuf Poulsen and Christopher Nkunku. They pressed higher and created chances, but Dani Olmo’s strike would only serve as consolation. Three minutes from time, Haaland got his second of the match to put the result beyond doubt.
“Dortmund did a lot with not many chances and we didn’t do much with many chances. I don’t think we were worse than the opposition,” commented Nagelsmann.
Even so, he will leave Leipzig without having won a major prize. The Red Bull club finished Bundesliga runners-up in the 2016-17 season and lost the 2018-19 cup final as well. Last season, they reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, falling at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
With victory in Berlin, Dortmund lifted their 5th German cup. They also remain in contention for a Champions League league qualification spot via the Bundesliga. Next season, Marco Rose will replace interim coach Edin Terzic in Westfalen.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1713542954labto1713542954ofdlr1713542954owedi1713542954sni@o1713542954fni1713542954