Borussia Dortmund beats Leipzig 4-1 in German Cup final

Berlin, May 14 (AP): Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho both scored twice as Borussia Dortmund withstood a second-half fightback in teeming rain to beat Leipzig 4-1 in the German Cup final. Captain Marco Reus was involved in all four goals on Thursday as Dortmund won the cup for the fifth time and denied bitter rival Leipzig a first title. “When we feel that our backs are against the wall, then we show our quality,” Reus said. “We have to do that continuously in the next few years.” Haaland was back after almost three weeks out with a muscle injury, but it was Sancho who fired Dortmund into a fifth-minute lead with a strike inside the far post after Reus won the ball from Kevin Kampl in midfield.
Haaland barreled past Dayot Upamecano for Dortmund’s second goal in the 28th, and Reus and Sancho combined to make it 3-0 before the break.
Leipzig emerged with intent for the second half, striking the crossbar and twice testing Roman B rki in the Dortmund goal.
Leipzig hit the post before Dani Olmo rewarded his side’s pressure with a fine strike from outside the penalty area in the 71st.
Sancho missed a good chance in a one-on-one with Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, before Haaland finally sealed Dortmund’s win in the 87th.
Dortmund previously won the title in 1965, 1989, 2012 and 2017. Leipzig, which was formed in 2009, was going for its first, but was unable to deal with Dortmund’s committed first-half performance. Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann had been hoping to sign off with a trophy before he leaves for Bayern Munich next season.
“We’re there for the second time in three years and we’ve gotten a hiding for the second time. Of course, it’s bitter,” said Leipzig chief executive Oliver Mintzlaff, whose team lost 3-0 to Bayern in the 2019 final.
Last year’s cup final was Germany’s first to be played without fans present, and they were excluded again Thursday due to ongoing precautions against the coronavirus. Anyone working at the stadium had to produce a negative test result for COVID-19 from a pop-up testing center nearby.
Germany coach Joachim L w was among the few attending. He is due to name his squad for the European Championship next Wednesday.