Berlin: Robert Lewandowski scored twice and Kingsley Coman was also on target as Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig 3-0 on Saturday to win the German Cup final and complete a domestic double.
Lewandowski’s glancing header while diving away from goal in the 29th minute put Bayern ahead, and a neat finish from Coman in the 78th and a second from Polish striker Lewandowski five minutes from time gave record German champions Bayern a 19th cup title and a 12th league and cup double.
For coach Niko Kovac, in his first season at Bayern, it was a second straight cup title after winning with Eintracht Frankfurt against Bayern in last season’s final.
He is also the first in German football to win the league and cup double as both player and coach after he won both silverware as a player with Bayern in 2003.
“We had a difficult phase in October and November but we came back well after the winter break,” said Kovac, whose position has been the subject of speculation despite winning the league title.
“I know it’s not easy in the coaching job. That’s why a title is so nice, so important.”
Bayern captain Manuel Neuer said after lifting the trophy: “The script could not have been written better.
“I think for all of us it was really important to finish the season with the double. We had almost been written off (after last year’s poor spell). We were behind in the Bundesliga and in the cup the talk had been of a 50-50 game.”
Leipzig, in their first cup final appearance, had an early chance in a bright opening spell when Yussuf Poulsen’s 11th-minute header from a corner was parried onto the bar by Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer.
But it was Bayern who took the lead when Lewandowski, diving away from goal, guided his header from a David Alaba cross past keeper Peter Gulacsi.
Bayern came close to a second shortly before the break when Mats Hummels sent Coman clear.
The winger rounded Gulacsi but his shot was cleared off the line by the head of Ibrahima Konate.
The linesman’s flag went up but video reviews showed Coman was onside.— dpa
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