The Double

Bayern Munich hadn’t exactly covered themselves in glory on their road to the DFB-Pokal final.  I had the opportunity to watch their quarterfinal match against second-division team Heidenheim.  The game started out well enough for Bayern with Leon Goretzka scoring in the twelfth minute.  But shortly thereafter, Niklas Süle was shown the red card for a tackle he made in the Bayern penalty area.  Bayern would have to play the rest of the game with only ten men.  Heidenheim's Robert Glatzel and Marc Schnatterer later scored to give Heidenheim the 2-1 lead at halftime.  Thomas Müller, Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry each scored for Bayern after halftime to make the score 4-2.  Glatzel scored twice more to even the score, which made things a little too interesting for the comfort of Bayern’s fans.  Serge Gnabry almost made it 5-4, but his shot on goal hit the crossbar.  In the game’s waning moments, Heidenheim committed a handball, and Robert Lewandowski converted the resulting penalty kick to make the score 5-4.

Bayern’s DFB-Pokal semi-final opponent was Werder Bremen at Bremen’s Weser-Stadion.  Bayern seemed to have this match under control.  Robert Lewandowski scored in the first half, Thomas Müller scored midway through the second half.  Suddenly, Werder scored two goals in quick succession - Yuya Osako at 74’, then Milot Rashica one minute later.  Scored tied 2-2.  Werder was putting up a spirited defense for the home crowd, but their euphoria soon turned to fury when Kingsley Coman and Theodor Gebre Selassie collided in Bremen's penalty area.  From my vantage point, there was no way Coman was going to catch up to the ball headed toward Bremen goalie Jiri Pavlenka, but the referee awarded a penalty to Bayern.  The referee didn’t bother to check VAR, which made the home side and their fans furious.  Bayern got a gift from the referee, and I say that as a Bayern fan.  I didn’t think it was a penalty, but my opinion doesn’t count.  For the second week in a row, Robert Lewandowski converted a penalty that ultimately won the game for Bayern.  Bayern were on their way to the DFB-Pokal.  You can win pretty or you can win ugly, the final result still counts the same.

RB Leipzig had some trouble, but not as much as Bayern, in reaching the DFB-Pokal final.  Leipzig had to work pretty hard in the quarterfinal against Augsburg.  Neither team got on the scoreboard until the 74^th minute when Leipzig striker Timo Werner scored.  Leipzig appeared to be heading for the semi-final date when Augsburg’s Alfred Finnbogason [a scoring machine when he’s healthy] scored on a desperate shot three minutes into stoppage time.  Since this was a knockout-stage game, Augsburg and Leipzig played two tense but scoreless fifteen-minute periods, but the game ended with a twist.  Augsburg’s Michael Gregoritsch was called for a handball inside Augsburg’s penalty are four minutes into stoppage time.  Leipzig’s Marcel Halstenberg converted the resultant penalty kick and Leipzig were on their way to the semi-final.  Their semi-final opponent was second-division team Hamburg. Until the end of last season, Hamburg had been the only team to have been in the first division of the Bundesliga since its formation.  But after tempting fate for too many seasons for their fans’ liking, Hamburg were finally relegated after last season.  But they seemed to rediscover their form by making it all the way to the semi-final.  Once there, however, RB Leipzig proved to be too tough for them. Leipzig won, 3-1. 

For the first time since he left the game against Fortuna Düsseldorf on Matchday 29 with a calf injury [six weeks], Manuel Neuer started in goal instead of Sven Ulreich.  I was concerned [as was he] that he didn’t have a match under his belt prior to the DFB-Pokal final so he could shake off any rust.  Neither of us needn’t have worried.  At eleven minutes into the game, Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen headed a ball toward goal from a corner kick at point-blank range.  Neuer got a glove on it on sheer reflex and it hit the crossbar.  It was a “how did he do that” moment.  Neuer had another such moment in the second half.  Three minutes after the second half began, Neuer found himself being the only thing between his own goal and Leipzig midfielder Emil Forsberg.  Forsberg took a great ball from Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konate.  Finding himself one-on-one with Forsberg, Neuer reminded us of why he was once considered one of the best goalies in the world.  He deflected Forsberg’s ball first with his leg and then his arm, resulting in a corner kick for Leipzig.  Ever since he broke his foot against Real Madrid two seasons ago, Neuer has not been the dominant stopper that Bayern Munich [or the German National Team] needs.  But on this day, he was the Neuer of old.  Leipzig had their chances but could not capitalize.

After last week’s 5-1 demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt to win the Bundesliga, Bayern set their sights on completing the “domestic double.  But Leipzig dominated much of the opening half hour, creating one clear-cut chance [Poulsen’s].  But at 29’, Robert Lewandowski made a difficult header past Leipzig’s goalie Peter Gulasci. Lewandowski took a cross from David Alaba as he was heading away from the goal, and redirected the ball past Gulasci.  Lewandowski nearly added a second goal at 44’ after build-up work from Thomas Müller and Serge Gnabry. Moments later, from the ensuing short corner routine, Mats Hummels made contact with a low cross from Müller but Gulasci saved it.  The score was 1-0 at halftime.  [Editor’s note: You know things are not going well for RB Leipzig when you don’t hear about Timo Werner.  As goes Timo, so goes RB Leipzig, and Timo was fairly quiet all day.]

After Neuer’s miraculous save against Forsberg in the second half, Bayern were merciless in attacking the Leipzig goal.  Shots came from Lewandowski, Müller, Gnabry and Mats Hummels even got into the act.  Peter Gulasci was a busy man in the second half.  At 66’, Hummels blocked a vicious shot from Forsberg with his jaw.  One could almost see the stars and birds circling Hummels’ head, but he got up, though it took him a little while to do so.  At 70’ Bayern brought on Corentin Tolisso for his first action since September, when he suffered an ACL tear.  Leipzig substituted 20-year-old Frenchman Dayot Upamecano for team captain Willi Orban.  Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick wanted more speed on defense.  But at 78’ Kingsley Coman scored Bayern’s second goal.  With only twelve minutes left in the game, it appeared Bayern had the Cup wrapped up, and they made two more substitutions – Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben came on for Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman. 

Lewandowski struck again.  A long Bayern clearance puts Upamecano in a tough spot.  The 30-year-old Lewandowski sprinted past the 20-year-old Upamecano, won the ball and dinked the ball over the onrushing Peter Gulasci with his left foot.  It was 3-0 Bayern with only five minutes to go.  After three minutes of stoppage time, Leipzig could not get on the board and the game ended with Bayern winning, 3-0.  Mauuel Neuer got a clean sheet, Niko Kovac got his second DFB-Pokal in as many years [his Frankfurt side beat Bayern Munich in last year’s final], and Bayern won the domestic double.  Kovac did what Jupp Heynckes couldn’t do last year, nor could Carlo Ancelotti do in his short stint at Bayern.  I think all of that talk about Niko Kovac not coaching at Bayern next year will cease.