Bayern coach Heynckes admits Dortmund deserved German Cup win

Borussia Dortmund lift German Cup trophy and clinch a double for the first time.

Borussia Dortmund players celebrate after defeating Bayern Munich  to win their first German Cup title. Fabrizio Bensch / Reuters
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BERLIN // Borussia Dortmund outclassed Bayern Munich 5-2 in the German Cup final and claimed their first domestic double on Saturday.

Robert Lewandowski led Dortmund to their first cup title in 23 years with a hat-trick in front of a sellout crowd in the Olympic Stadium.

"What they did today is not possible to put into words," said Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp. "It's the outstanding moment. Really, the feeling, it's not possible to put it into words."

It was Bundesliga champions Dortmund's unprecedented fifth consecutive win over Bayern, who play the Champions League final against Chelsea in Munich next Saturday.

"The game answered all questions," Klopp joked at the press conference.

His side has yet to lose a game in 2012, having finished the Bundesliga with a record 81-point haul and setting a record of 28 games unbeaten in a season.

"We showed that we deserved to win the league and cup," said Dortmund captain Sebastian Kehl. "We were always there, it's indescribable. You had the feeling we'll put them away again. Five goals against Bayern - sensational."

Ten players from Germany's preliminary squad for Euro 2012 started the game, with Dortmund's Mario Goetze and Sven Bender as well as Bayern's Thomas Mueller on the bench.

"Congratulations to Borussia. They deserved it today," said Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes. "They used our weaknesses. I don't need to explain what they were."

Dortmund scored with their first charge, Jakub Blaszczykowski running onto Luiz Gustavo's misguided backpass, drawing Manuel Neuer out from goal and then cutting the ball back for Japan star Shinji Kagawa to strike into the unguarded net after three minutes.

Kagawa may have played his last game for Dortmund before a mooted move to the English Premier League. Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson, for one, was watching from the stands.

Roman Weidenfeller denied Bayern's Mario Gomez after Arjen Robben played the striker through five minutes later, but the Dortmund goalkeeper needed lengthy treatment on his ribs from his crucial interception.

Weidenfeller conceded a penalty in the 25th when he brought down Gomez, and Robben - who dramatically missed the last penalty he took against Dortmund - held his nerve to score.

"They had good phases, but the big plus for my team is that they can handle them," Klopp said.

Bayern should have gone ahead, Gomez failing to take advantage of Neven Subotic's poor clearance and Mats Hummels blocking Philipp Lahm's shot on the line.

Weidenfeller was unable to continue after that, going off in the 34th to be taken to a hospital for his earlier injury.

"He's got a bruised rib," Klopp said. "He can celebrate and he has seven weeks to recover. That will do."

Weidenfeller's replacement, Mitchell Langerak, was called into action straight away, denying Gomez.

Peter Gagelmann pointed to the penalty spot again in the 41st when Jerome Boateng clearly fouled Blaszczykowski and Hummels - a former Bayern player - put the spot kick just beyond Neuer's reach.

Kagawa enhanced his reputation again when he played Lewandowski through to squeeze his shot through Neuer's legs, leaving the Dortmund fans singing into the interval at 3-1 up.

The start of the second half was held up when flares sent smoke billowing around the 74,497-capacity Olympic Stadium.

Bayern's defence was nowhere to be seen when Kagawa found Kevin Grosskreutz, the Dortmund winger playing the ball through Bastian Schweinsteiger's legs for Lewandowski to score his second.

Franck Ribery scored with a fantastic shot from outside the penalty area in the 75th, but Lewandowski sealed Dortmund's victory six minutes later when Piszczek scooped the ball over the stranded Neuer for his Poland teammate to head in at the far post.

Joachim Loew, the Germany coach, will have been alarmed to see Schweinsteiger and Hummels in a heated row near the end as Bayern's frustration threatened to boil over.

"We have to try and digest this loss as quickly as possible," Heynckes said. "Next week we have another objective."

sports@thenational.ae

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