Bayen Munich have won the DFB Pokal for a record 18th time.
Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich played out an intense and draining DFB Pokal final that ended up having to go to extra time.
As expected Bayern dominated the possession and the shot count, but Dortmund would not give in to their bitter rivals and refused to back down.
Players were pushed to the limit as the DFB Pokal final went to extra time. Photo: @durmpics | Twitter
The game turned cynical and tackles began flying in as the two rivals gave it their all in what turned out to be a particularly edgy contest. Franck Ribery was lucky to stay on the pitch after he poked Gonzalo Castro in the eye, but the referee decided to award a yellow card for both players instead.
Despite dominating the possession, Bayern couldn't make it count as they only managed to get two of their 15 shots on target. Dortmund didn't do much better as they only managed one shot on target out of eight.
The game was mostly stuck in the midfield and as a result neither team could establish their own style of play, and the game was eventually forced to penalties. It wasn't the prettiest game to watch, but it certainly was intense.
Shinji Kagawa stepped up to take Dortmund's first penalty, and the Japanese sank it with ease, as did Arturo Vidal for Bayern. Sven Bender then took a truly awful penalty which was all too easy for Neuer to save, which then allowed Robert Lewandowski to put Bayern in front. The pressure then fell to Dortmund defender Sokratis, who also failed to make it count as he hit the post.
Bayern's Joshua Kimmich handed Dortmund a lifeline by hitting an even worse penalty than Bender's which was easily saved, and Aubameyang cooly dispatched his own to keep Dortmund in it. Thomas Muller of course finished his with ease, meaning Marco Reus had to score to keep Dortmund in it. To his credit, Reus finished with confidence but Douglas Costa scored the final penalty to break Dortmund hearts as Bayern once again asserted their dominance.
It was a cruel end for Dortmund, who drove Bayern all the way to the end, just as they did in the league, but it was all for nought. However it was a memorable moment for Pep Guardiola in his last game with Bayern, as he was overcome with emotion as Bayern clinched their 18th German cup.
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