Borussia Dortmund thrashed a lackluster RB Leipzig to win this years DFB Pokal trophy. In the match held at Olympiastadion Berlin, Dortmund side cruised past Leipzig to win it 4-1.
The game which featured the heavyweights in German football, however, became a one-sided affair. Both Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland scored twice to help their side win their 5th Pokal.
For Julian Nagelsmann and his side, this marks back to back victory against Dortmund in a matter of a week. The wait for Leipzig and Nagelsmann to win their first major trophy in the top continues.
RB LEIPZIG 1-4 BORUSSIA DORTMUND: TEAM NEWS
From the team that lost 3-2 to Dortmund, Leipzig have made multiple changes. Orban, Angelino. Henrichs and Forsberg made way for Haidara, Sorloth, Mukiele and Halstenberg in the playing 11.
For Dortmund, the team news gave delight as their prolific striker Erling Haaland was back in the starting 11. He alongside Jude Bellingham is in the starting 11, while Reyna and Hazard made their way to the bench. The injured goalkeeper Marwin Hitz is also replaced by Roman Burki.
RB LEIPZIG 1-4 BORUSSIA DORTMUND: POST-MATCH ANALYSIS
The game started brightly with both teams eager to assert early dominance. However, just like last Saturday, Dortmund got the upper hand as they scored the first goal inside 5 minutes. The goal came after Kevin Kampl lost the possession to Marco Reus who passed it upfield. Dortmund worked the ball beautifully and Jadon Sancho gave them the lead when he finished it off brilliantly.
The lead soon doubled, this time again due to an error from Leipzig. A back pass by Hwang Hee-Chan missed its target as the ball reached Marco Reus. Reus swiftly played it into Haaland, who outmuscled Dayot Upamecano and finished it deftly.
Misery soon increased for Leipzig, when Dortmund scored their 3rd goal right before the end of the first half. Leipzig was pressed hard by Dortmund in the middle and this lead to a quick counter which led to the third goal.
Dortmund could have sealed the game in the second half when Hazard missed a beautiful chance to make it 4-0. However, Leipzig started to grow into the game in the second half. This resulted in them scoring their only goal of the match in the 71st minute. Dani Olmo scored a cracker from just outside the box to breathe some life into Die Roten Bullen.
But the match was put out of their reach when Haaland scored his second of the match. This came after Leipzig overcommitted their players in a desperate attempt to score. Dortmund unleashed their counterattack and Sancho passed the ball onto Haaland for the Norwegian to finish it.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
Marco Rues (9/10): Reus rolled back years as he put on an impressive performance to help his side towards the domestic cup victory. The captain led from the front as he pressed on the Leipzig defenders relentlessly. He was part of all the three goals scored in the first half, grabbing himself two assists in the process. He could have had a hattrick of assist had Thorgan Hazard not missed a very easy chance.
Jadon Sancho (8.5/10): Sancho seems to love to play against Leipzig, scoring back-to-back braces against them in a week. The English winger had an excellent first half as he bossed the Leipzig defense. His first goal was an excellent curved finish to the far corner. He did make some errors in the second half and missed a chance to complete a hattrick. But his goals in the first half were enough for Dortmund to clinch the title.
Edin Terzic (10/10): Okay we are cheating, but one cant look past the work Terzic had done with this team. After being named the caretaker manager for the rest of the season, Terzic has done a brilliant job. The German has taken his team to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, have a great chance of finishing in the top four, and have now won them the DFB Pokal. His tactics worked out brilliantly in the final, pressing his opponents higher up the pitch and keeping the midfield pack. Terzic also became the youngest manager in this century to win the Pokal at the age of 38.
RB Leipzig will be disappointed not to win their first major title. They will now go back to face Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga and will end their season with the match against Union Berlin.
The season is still not over for Dortmund as they still are fighting for the Champions League qualification. Two difficult games against Mainz and Leverkusen wait for them and if they can keep this form, one can expect them to be there in the UCL next season.
