Bundesliga
A superb Granit Xhaka strike proved the difference as Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen edged past Bundesliga 2's Kaiserslautern to make it a German double with victory in the 2023/24 DFB Cup final.
Kaiserslautern 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Goals: 0-1 Xhaka 16'
Red card: Kossounou 44'
Kaiserslautern were backed by a vociferous following in Berlin as they went out eager to shake off their underdogs tag and spoil Leverkusen's double dream. Daniel Hanslik sent a testing drive on the champions' goal in the opening minutes and Lukáš Hrádecký dived well to keep it out. Xabi Alonso's charges soon showed the kind of quality that took them to an unprecedented unbeaten Bundesliga season, though, with Jeremie Frimpong, Patrik Schick and Florian Wirtz all threatening. The breakthrough came with 15 minutes on the clock when Xhaka latched on to a loose ball to dispatch a deadly drive into the top corner from over 20 yards out. Leverkusen continued to pile the pressure on their Bundesliga 2 opponents, with Alex Grimaldo almost setting up a second for Schick before sending a shot wide. Just when Leverkusen appeared to be breezing towards a win, the first half had a final twist in store as Odilon Kossounou was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Boris Tomiak. Tobias Raschl then drove wide when he could have levelled in first-half stoppage time.
A trio of half-time substitutes were in the thick of things after the restart. Amine Adli hit the first effort of the second period before Josip Stanišić headed narrowly wide from a corner. Leverkusen appeared to be back in control of proceedings, but Kaiserslautern substitute Ragnar Ache flashed an effort wide before having a shot saved. Tymoteusz Puchacz also fired wide before Frimpong brought the ball into a threatening position and Adli steered a shot narrowly off target in a relatively open and even final phase. Despite not gaining the kind of dominance on the night that was expected, Leverkusen took their lead over the line to send their fans wild with a second DFB Cup in club history and a first domestic double.
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Match stats
Line-ups
Kaiserslautern: Krahl - Zimmer (c) (Touré 90+3'), Tomiak, Elvedi, Puchacz - Kaloc, Raschl (Klement 83') , Zolinski (Tachie 74'), Ritter, Redondo (Opoku 83') - Hanslik (Ache 46')
Unused subs: Himmelmann, Ronstadt, Aremu
Out: Niehues (knee), Zuck (knee)
Coach: Friedhelm Funkel
Leverkusen: Hrádecký (c) - Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba - Frimpong (Tella 90+3'), Xhaka, Andrich, Grimaldo (Hincapie 85') - Hofmann (Stanišić 46'), Wirtz (Hložek 90+3') - Schick (Adli 46')
Unused subs: Kovář, Palacios, Boniface, Iglesias
Coach: Xabi Alonso
As it happened!
They've done it! Bayer Leverkusen add the DFB Cup to their Bundesliga title. It wasn't easy, but they managed the challenge of playing the second half with 10 men with real professionalism.
Xhaka throws himself at a loose ball on the edge of the area to make a heroic clearance. He's caught by Tomiak in the process, but it's Klement who goes into the book for his reaction to the referee's whistle.
Do Kaiserslautern have one last push in them?
It suddenly opens up for Hincapié on the break. He clips a pass back to Frimpong, who loses his footing in the penalty area, just when the chance was on. Bayer come again as Wirtz meets Xhaka's clipped pass, but Grahl is alert to the danger and is out quickly to block. Two big let-offs for Kaiserslautern.
Hradecky's in no rush to release the ball after coming to claim a searching cross from the left-hand side. There will be a lengthy amount of stoppage time, remember...
Wirtz shows a great touch to bring a long ball under wraps in the FCK area, but he can't get round his marker. Heavy legs from the youngster...
It's now or never for Funkel's team. They go on the attack, but Ritter's long-range effort is charged down.
They're dictating the pace again, and still managing to press high, despite having to play with 10 men since late in the first half.
Wirtz works his magic and sends Frimpong in on goal. The Leverkusen full-back rounds Grahl, but without looking goes for the cut-back, which he plays straight to a Kaiserslautern defender. All he had to do was glance across at the box, and he'd have seen Wirtz unmarked. Adli then hits one wide from distance.
Forward Tachie's on for defender Zolinski. The Kaiserslautern substitute has three goals and six assists so far this season.
The Leverkusen fans are in fine voice, but these are nervy times for the Bundesliga champions. Alonso may be considering further changes as his players tire...
The Kaiserslautern sub wriggles away from Tah around 20 yards from goal, before drawing a strong diving save from Hradecky. Alonso looks on pensively...
Ache wins a long ball ahead of Tah. The former Frankfurt forward runs towards the edge of the area, but his low strike lacks power and precision, and Hradecky just watches it wide.
Krahl's taking no chances as Adli fires in a dipping strike from range. Stanišić meets Grimaldo's ensuing corner, the Bayern Munich loanee glancing a header wide.
Leverkusen hog the ball, before a mistake allows Ache a chance to instigate a break on halfway. He lays the ball off and races towards the edge of the box, but the return pass is picked off by a black shirt.
Away we go again in the German capital...
The referee halts play as some Kaiserslautern fans let off fireworks in the stand behind the Leverkusen goal.
Josip Stanišić is on to plug the gap left by Odilon Kossounou, while Amine Adli replaces lone striker Patrik Schick. Kaiserlautern make one change, with top scorer Ragnar Ache - a doubt before the game - on for Daniel Hanslik
Xhaka doesn't score a lot of goals, but they're usually pretty special when he does!
Leverkusen don't deal with a ball into the box. It's knocked back for Raschl, who drives agonisingly wide of the far post. The keeper was beaten!
Three minutes at the end of a curious first half...
Well, well. Leverkusen are reduced to 10 men as Kossounou collects his second booking - this one for a dangerous, studs-up challenge on Tomiak. Kaiserslautern might not get a better chance to turn things around...
Wirtz tries to disguise a reverse pass into the feet of Schick, but overcooks his effort and the ball goes straight through to Krahl.
Leverkusen have the white shirts hemmed in their own half. The Red Devils will do well to get to the break only a goal down...
Another shaky moment for Kossounou as he tussles for a long ball with Redondo, but the referee blows for a foul against the Kaiserslautern attacker. Not a bad ploy to target the Bayer defender, who's on a booking...
That goal has really unsettled Kaiserslautern. They've been chasing shadows ever since.
The Spaniard is a whisker away from doubling Bayer's lead with an out-swinging free-kick. Is there anyone with a better knuckle-ball in football today?
Grimaldo clips the ball to the left of the advancing Krahl. Schick looks set to turn it into the open net, but Tomiak has other ideas. Superb intervention.
A reminder that Leverkusen are unbeaten in competitive meetings with German opposition this season - 34 Bundesliga and five DFB Cup fixtures.
Xhaka thunders Leverkusen in front with an absolute rocket from over 20 yards out. Kaiserslautern just couldn't get the ball clear, and Bayer's midfield general made them pay with an unerring first-time hit for his first DFB Cup goal!
Wirtz shows all his class with a waltzing run into the Kaiserslautern area. He then gets off a fierce low strike that Krahl does really well to block with his left leg.