Petric 1-1
Toni 1-2
Toni's Doubles for Bayern secure Cup Win
Bayern Munich have won the 65th German Cup final with an extra-time win over Borussia Dortmund.
A great piece of combination play between Bayern’s two best players this season, Franck Ribéry and Luca Toni sealed the opening goal of the game after 11 minutes. Bayern were seconds from the Cup, only for Mladen Petric to grab a late injury time equaliser for Dortmund.
However, the man who can’t stop scoring- Luca Toni, popped up at the end of the first period of extra time to grab his second and finally seal the Cup and the first part of Bayern’s trilogy.
First Half
Dortmund kicked the game off and the referee was called upon straight away to talk to Blaszczykowski for a late tackle on Lahm. Thomas Doll had obviously sent out his players with instructions to get about Bayern Munich early on.
The opening five minutes saw no goalmouth action with both sides fully committed in midfield. The first effort on target came from full back Philipp Lahm from distance but Ziegler held it with ease.
The first goal of the game duly arrived on 11 minutes with Bayern scoring through……you’ve guessed it, Luca Toni. The manner of the goal will also have surprised no one with Franck Ribéry turning provider.
Mark van Bommel sent an excellent cross-field ball which Ribéry controlled first time before beating Rukavina for pace and sending a low pin-point cross for Toni to stroke home before Dede could get to the ball.
The early goal for Bayern was exactly what BVB didn’t want but they responded positively putting together some fine passages of passing play, but were unable to find a way through a tight Bayern defence.
The next half chance fell to Bayern on 25 minutes following a Schweinsteiger free kick. Klose rose well but was unable to direct his header goal wards. On a positive note for Dortmund it was an improvement on the last league match where Bayern were 4-0 up after 25 minutes.
Bayern keeper Oliver Kahn was called upon for the first time on the half hour mark when Florian Kringe let fly from outside the penalty area, but it caused the veteran keeper no worries.
The Dortmund fans were on their feet after 35 minutes screaming for a penalty as Alexander Frei went down in the box under a rather clumsy challenge from Martin Demichelis and they would have had a case had the linesman not already had his flag up for a marginal but correct offside decision.
A bad error from Philipp Lahm on 41 minutes almost let on Dortmund but Kringe fired over after Blaszczykowski had fired in a low cross that beat the Bayern back line. Minutes later and Lucio had to produce a last-ditch block from Tinga as his shot appeared goal-bound. Dede had produced a great run and cross from the left after beating Christian Lell.
Bayern lead at the end of the first period, but Dortmund had not played as badly as in the previous two games. They even had their own chances to score at the end of the first 45 minutes.
Second Half
Both teams came out unchanged in the second half and Dortmund continued where they left off at the end of the first half and looked to press Bayern whenever they could. Bayern for their part we relatively quiet going forward.
They did however give Dortmund a moment of real concern on 52 minutes when Miroslav Klose rose to meet a corner and headed narrowly over the crossbar with the crowd on their feet thinking it had gone in.
The German international striker then repeated the feat two minutes later but this time he saw his header cleared off the line by Blaszczykowski.
Dortmund were really starting to look a dangerous prospect going forward and Martin Demichelis had to be alert to block a shot from Frei following a great diagonal ball from Kringe ten minutes after the restart.
As the half progressed the game ebbed and flowed with chances at both ends. On 63 minutes Luca Toni swung and missed at a shot in the Dortmund area, before Dortmund quickly counter-attacked and Oliver Kahn was forced to tip the ball off the head of Frei following a great cross from Kringe.
Kringe was becoming an ever more dangerous player and should have done a little better after 66 minutes when his shot was easily gathered by Kahn after Petric had bent in a good cross from the left.
Minutes later and Schweinsteiger flashed a first time shot inches wide after Lahm had played the ball through to the midfielder. Kringe then headed a free kick into the side netting as the game moved from end to end.
Bayern looked to have scored the all-important second goal with fifteen minutes left, but were twice denied by Dortmund. A fine piece of skill from Ribéry saw the Frenchman twist his way into the area and fire in a great shot, but Ziegler saved with his foot.
The rebound was fired in by Luca Toni but it smacked Robert Kovac in the head when it had seemed destined for the back of the net.
Bayern tried to close the game down and see out the game till the final whistle with their 1-0 lead. There was a dangerous ball across the Bayern area and penalty appeal late on (for which Blaszczykowski was rightly booked for diving), but Dortmund just didn’t look like they were going to find a way through.
Then, sensationally just as the Bayern ribbons were being tied on the Cup, the equaliser arrived with 92 minutes on the clock.
Bayern were unable to clear a Dede corner sufficiently and with the ball bouncing around in the area, Petric unleashed a shot which bounced down into the ground, deflected off van Bommel and wrong-footed Lahm on the line to give Dortmund an amazing late equaliser and send the game into extra time.
Extra Time- 1st Period
A clearly fired-up Dortmund came back out on the front foot and forced two corners in quick succession, but neither troubled the Bayern goal. Thomas Doll’s side were dictating the game, with Bayern visibly knocked by the late equalising goal.
The first good chance of the first period of extra time fell to Dortmund with Kringe firing in an extremely dangerous low shot which seemed destined for the bottom corner of Bayern’s net. However, Oliver Kahn pulled off a superb save to keep Bayern level.
Then two minutes before the end of the first period of extra time that man Luca Toni popped up again to fire Bayern back in front.
Lukas Podolski looked to drive into the penalty and drove the ball across goal. The prolific Italian striker was on hand to flick the ball, albeit apparently unintentionally past a wrong-footed Marc Ziegler to restore Bayern’s lead.
Extra Time- 2nd Period
Things went from bad to worse for Dortmund when three minutes into the second period of extra time they were they were reduced to ten men following the sending off of Blaszczykowski. The Pole was booked earlier for a dive and received his second yellow for a late foul on Christian Lell.
On 115 minutes the three Bayern substitutes, Sagnol, Ottl, and Podolski combined well and Podolski fired in a shot that produced a fine reaction save from Marc Ziegler.
This time however Bayern were able to hold onto their lead and duly secured their 14th German Cup win and completed the first part of their Bundesliga, Cup and Uefa Cup trilogy.
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