Granit Xhaka’s solitary goal propelled 10-man Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-0 victory over Kaiserslautern in Berlin on Saturday, clinching the German Cup and completing the League-Cup double for the club.
Despite securing the Bundesliga title in mid-April, Leverkusen faced a tough challenge against their second-division opponents, especially after Odilon Kossounou received his second yellow card late in the first half.
Xhaka’s superb left-footed strike in the 16th minute proved to be the decisive moment, as Leverkusen rebounded from their Europa League final defeat to Atalanta just days earlier. The loss not only ended their unbeaten streak of 51 games for the season but also dashed their hopes of securing a treble.
“To win like that at the end, we showed our team spirit. We fought hard, we did it for everyone, the fans, the club,” Xabi Alonso told Germany’s ARD
“To achieve the double. It’s been a great season,” he added.
Kaiserslautern, former four-time German champions now stranded in the lower Leagues since 2012, aimed to become only the second club from outside the top division to lift the Cup since Hannover in 1992.
Surviving a close call with relegation to the third League this Season, Kaiserslautern encountered only one top-division club on their path to the final — the now-relegated Cologne.
Kossounou, omitted from Wednesday’s loss in Dublin, returned to the starting lineup but received a yellow card just two minutes into the game for a robust challenge on Kenny Prince Redondo.
Leverkusen then seized the lead after 16 minutes, with long-range specialist Xhaka firing in from outside the penalty area.
Nonetheless Kaiserslautern’s near miss after the red card, with Tobias Raschl narrowly missing the target moments later, Kossounou’s early caution proved significant when he was sent off in the 44th minute after a second booking.
Alonso, visibly distressed after Kossounou’s dismissal, made two halftime substitutions, opting for defensive reinforcements by replacing striker Patrik Schick and winger Jonas Hofmann.
Fueled by their fervent traveling supporters, who unveiled a giant Red Devil, the club’s mascot, just before kickoff, Kaiserslautern pushed forward but lacked the cutting edge to breach Leverkusen’s defense.
Leverkusen’s remarkable season was characterized by attacking football, but Alonso’s side adopted a more defensive approach in the second half, preferring to counterattack.
The experienced coach also attempted to restore order to the game, at one point interrupting his team’s counterattack by physically restraining Florian Wirtz with both arms to stop a throw-in.
Leverkusen managed to secure another piece of silverware this Season, doubling the club’s trophy count in their history, following their German Cup triumph in 1993 and their UEFA Cup victory in 1988.
The final marked the first absence of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, or RB Leipzig since 2012, teams that collectively boast 27 German Cups.
