Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland both netted twice on Thursday as Borussia Dortmund won the DFB-Pokal with an emphatic 4-1 win over RB Leipzig to spoil Julian Nagelsmann’s hopes of leaving with a title.
Dortmund turned on the style at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, converting all of their three first-half shots on target to sweep Leipzig aside, as Sancho netted twice either side of a superb Haaland goal.
“I am very happy that I could score two goals and set up one for Haaland,” Sancho told ARD.
Photo:EPA-EFE
The England winger could have claimed a hat-trick late on after rounding Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, but failed to get his shot away.
“I don’t know what happened, I am sure I am going to look back on this game and regret not getting my hat-trick,” Sancho said. “Next time I will shoot first — sorry Dortmund fans.”
Spain midfielder Dani Olmo pulled a goal back for Leipzig, before Haaland grabbed his second in the dying stages, despite slipping as he connected.
Dortmund lifted the DFB-Pokal for the fifth time in the club’s history.
“It’s unbelievable, I am proud of the morale the team has shown in the past few weeks,” said captain Marco Reus after Dortmund also got back into the Bundesliga’s UEFA Champions League places.
Defeat in Berlin dashed Nagelsmann’s hopes of winning the first senior title of his career before leaving after two years coaching RB Leipzig to take the helm at Bayern Munich next season.
RB Leipzig, who were only founded in 2009, are also waiting for a first major title having also lost the 2018-2019 final to Bayern.
“I’m proud of the team, but it’s not good to lose a final,” Nagelsmann said. “We were a bit too passive in our own box and we had to much to do at 3-0 down.”
Haaland returned to the Dortmund lineup after a leg injury kept him out of the two previous games, including Saturday’s 3-2 home win over Leipzig in a dress rehearsal for the final.
Sancho, who also scored twice last Saturday, put Dortmund ahead with just five minutes gone.
After Dortmund captain Marco Reus robbed Kevin Kampl of possession, the ball was worked to the edge of the penalty area, where Sancho curled his shot around Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
Dortmund converted their second shot on goal when Haaland made it 2-0 on 28 minutes.
He sprinted onto Reus’ pass, beat Leipzig centerback Dayot Upamecano, who will follow Nagelsmann to Bayern next season, and curled his shot around Gulacsi.
Leipzig had to wait until seven minutes before halftime to create a clear chance when Haaland’s Norway teammate Alexander Sorloth fired into the side-netting.
Sancho grabbed his second just before the halftime whistle when he tapped into an empty net from Reus’ pass after Dortmund opened up Leipzig’s defense.
Leipzig were much improved in the second half.
With his side 3-0 down at halftime, Nagelsmann swapped both forwards, with Sorloth and South Korea’s Hwang Hee-chan making for for Yussuf Poulsen and Christopher Nkunku, who made an immediate impact.
Just 25 seconds in, Nkunku’s chip clipped Dortmund’s crossbar from Amadou Haidara’s cross, while Poulsen fired two chances wide.
At the other end, Thorgan Hazard, a halftime replacement for Jude Bellingham, squandered a chance to make it 4-0 with the goal at his mercy with an hour gone.
Olmo pulled a goal back on 71 minutes when he slotted home from the edge of the penalty area.
Sancho squandered a late chance to claim his hat-trick when he waited a fraction too long after rounding Gulacsi and scuffed his shot, before Haaland netted his second to send the title to Dortmund.
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