 Match programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 2018–19 DFB-Pokal | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 25 May 2019 (2019-05-25) | ||||||
| Venue | Olympiastadion,Berlin | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Robert Lewandowski(Bayern Munich)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Tobias Stieler (Hamburg)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 74,322 | ||||||
←2018 2020 → | |||||||
The2019 DFB-Pokal Final decided the winner of the2018–19 DFB-Pokal, the 76th season of the annual Germanfootball cup competition. The match was played on 25 May 2019 at theOlympiastadion inBerlin.[3][4]
The match featuredBundesliga clubsRB Leipzig, playing in their first final, andBayern Munich, the record winners of the competition.
Bayern Munich won the final 3–0 for their 19th DFB-Pokal title.[5][6]With the win, Bayern completed their 12th domestic double, and therefore played away to2018–19 Bundesliga runners-upBorussia Dortmund in the2019 DFL-Supercup in August 2019. Because Bayern qualified for the Champions League through the Bundesliga, the sixth-place team in the Bundesliga,VfL Wolfsburg, earned qualification for the group stage of the2019–20 edition of theUEFA Europa League, and the league's third second round spot went to the team in seventh,Eintracht Frankfurt.[7]
In the following table, finals until 1943 were in the Tschammerpokal era, since 1953 were in the DFB-Pokal era.
| Team | Previous final appearances (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|
| RB Leipzig | None |
| Bayern Munich | 22 (1957,1966,1967,1969,1971,1982,1984,1985,1986,1998,1999,2000,2003,2005,2006,2008,2010,2012,2013,2014,2016,2018) |
The match will be the first final forRB Leipzig, competing in their seventh season of the tournament.[8] Their previous best performance in the competition was reaching the second round on three occasions (in2011–12,2015–16 and2017–18).[9] Leipzig became the 39th unique club to reach the final,[10] and the first final debutant sinceUnion Berlin in2001,[11] an achievement reached just short of ten years since the club's founding on 19 May 2009.[12] They are also the first club fromSaxony to reach the final sinceDresdner SC's win in1941,[13] as well as the second club fromLeipzig to reach the final, afterVfB Leipzig won in1936.[14] A victory would see RB Leipzig win their first major honour, with the club only previously winning regional league and cup titles.[15] They would also become the first team sinceBayer Leverkusen in1993 to win in their debut final.[10]
The final will be the last match forRalf Rangnick as head coach of Leipzig,[16] as he will return to his post assporting director following the arrival ofJulian Nagelsmann as coach for the 2019–20 season.[17] Following the resignation ofRalph Hasenhüttl,[18] Rangnick took over as head coach for the 2018–19 season, his second stint after leading the club toBundesliga promotion in the2015–16 season.[19] While not serving as head coach, he has been the sporting director of the club since the 2012–13 season.[20] The match will be the third DFB-Pokal final for Rangnick, having reached the final twice withSchalke 04 during his two stints at the club. He lost 1–2 toBayern Munich in2005, before winning the competition in2011 with a 5–0 victory againstMSV Duisburg.[21]
The match will be the 23rd final for Bayern Munich, extending their competition record.[10] Of the previous finals, Bayern has won on 18 occasions, also a competition record, and lost four times.[10] This is the second consecutive final for Bayern, having lost in the2018 final toEintracht Frankfurt, who were led by now-Bayern coachNiko Kovač.[22] Bayern's last final victory was in2016, where they won on penalties againstBorussia Dortmund.[23] Bayern are chasing a league and cupdouble, having won the2018–19 Bundesliga on the final matchday, a week prior to the final.[24] Bayern has previously completed the double on 11 occasions (in 2013 as part of atreble), a record in Germany, most recently in 2016.[25]
The final is the third consecutive for Bayern managerNiko Kovač, the fourth coach to do so afterHans Schmidt (withSchalke 04, losing in1935 and1936, winning in1937),Udo Lattek (with Bayern Munich, winning in1984 and1986, losing in1985) andOtto Rehhagel (withWerder Bremen, losing in1989 and1990, winning in1991).[10] However, Kovač is the first to accomplish this with multiple clubs in the streak. Kovač, who is in his first season with Bayern, reached the previous two finals withEintracht Frankfurt. In2017, he lost 1–2 toBorussia Dortmund,[26] before winning against future employers Bayern Munich in2018.[22] Kovač is the second manager to reach three DFB-Pokal finals in their first three attempts, followingHans Schmidt forSchalke 04 (between1935 and1937).[27] He could also become the seventh coach to win consecutive DFB-Pokal titles, followingGeorg Köhler (Dresdner SC,1940 and1941),Zlatko Čajkovski (Bayern Munich,1966 and1967),Dietrich Weise (Eintracht Frankfurt,1974 and1975),Hennes Weisweiler (1. FC Köln,1977 and1978),Huub Stevens (Schalke 04,2001 and2002) andFelix Magath (Bayern Munich,2005 and2006).[28] However, Kovač would be the first to accomplish this feat with a different club in each season. While in 2018 Kovač became the fifth person to win the DFB-Pokal as player and manager, this final could see him become the second person to accomplish this for the same club, having won the2003 final with Bayern during his playing career. This was previously accomplished byThomas Schaaf forWerder Bremen (player in1991 and1994, manager in1999,2004 and2009). He would also become the second person to win multiple DFB-Pokal titles as manager after having previously won the competition as a player, also along with Schaaf.[29]
The final will be the eighth match between Leipzig and Bayern, with a record of four Bayern wins, one Leipzig win, and one draw (which Bayern won on penalties) prior. The match is the 65th unique final pairing in DFB-Pokal history.[10] Of the prior matches, one has been in the DFB-Pokal, with the teams meeting in the second round of theprevious season. The match in Leipzig finished as a 1–1 draw after extra time, with Bayern winning 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out. The remaining meetings occurred in the Bundesliga, with Bayern winning 3–0 at home and 5–4 away in the2016–17 season. In the2017–18 Bundesliga, Bayern won the first match 2–0 at home, before Leipzig won 2–1 at home in the second meeting. The sides will have met twice during2018–19 season prior to the final, with Bayern winning 1–0 at home in the first meeting on 19 December 2018, and the second meeting in Leipzig as a "final preview" on 11 May 2019 finishing as a 0–0 draw.[30]
The DFB-Pokal began with 64 teams in asingle-elimination knockout cup competition. There were a total of five rounds leading up to the final. Teams were drawn against each other, and the winner after 90 minutes would advance. If still tied, 30 minutes ofextra time was played. If the score was still level, apenalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner.[31]
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
| RB Leipzig | Round | Bayern Munich | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | 2018–19 DFB-Pokal | Opponent | Result |
| Viktoria Köln (A) | 3–1 | First round | SV Drochtersen/Assel (A) | 1–0 |
| 1899 Hoffenheim (H) | 2–0 | Second round | SV Rödinghausen (A) | 2–1 |
| VfL Wolfsburg (H) | 1–0 | Round of 16 | Hertha BSC (A) | 3–2 (a.e.t.) |
| FC Augsburg (A) | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Quarter-finals | 1. FC Heidenheim (H) | 5–4 |
| Hamburger SV (A) | 3–1 | Semi-finals | Werder Bremen (A) | 3–2 |
| RB Leipzig | 0–3 | Bayern Munich |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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         RB Leipzig |      Bayern Munich |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[2] | Match rules[32]
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