Bayern Munich ended the season with another piece of silverware as they clinched the DFB Pokal title with a 3-0 win against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday. It was Bayern’s first DFB Pokal title since the treble-winning season in 2020. Harry Kane scored a hat-trick to ensure Bayern cruised to a comfortable victory.
Courtesy of the win on Saturday, Bayern completed the domestic double as they lifted the Bundesliga title last weekend.
There were no surprises in the team selection on Saturday as Vincent Kompany went with his strongest starting XI available against Stuttgart.
Both sides started the game cautiously, which was understandable since it was a final and nerves would have taken some time to settle down. Even though Bayern have been fantastic this season, they have struggled in the DFB Pokal over the last five seasons, which probably explains the cautious start.
Kompany’s men dominated the possession, but Stuttgart had their moments in the first 20 minutes. Jonas Urbig pulled off a brilliant save in the 16th minute to deny Maximilian Mittelstädt. However, things settled down post 20 minutes, and both teams effectively cancelled each other in the first half. Die Roten had a shout for a penalty at the end of the first half, but it was waved off as there was not enough contact to bring down Harry Kane.
Bayern’s talisman steps up in the second half
After struggling to get the upper hand in the first half, Bayern looked much more aggressive in and out of possession in the second half. Vincent Kompany’s half-time talk certainly did the trick. Die Roten looked much sharper with their passing.
The early pressure in the second half led to the goal. It was not surprising to see Bayern’s two best forwards combining for this goal. After a short pass from a set-piece on the right flank, Michael Olise delivered a peach of a cross to Harry Kane in the box. The English forward finished the move through an emphatic header to put Bayern ahead in the game.
Konrad Laimer had the golden opportunity to double Die Roten’s lead at the hour mark, but he couldn’t bundle the ball into an empty goal from close range.
Die Roten continued to pile on the pressure after scoring the first goal. Stuttgart were on the back foot and struggled to stitch attacking moves to trouble Bayern. They did have a good chance through Chema Andres, as his header missed the target by a whisker in the 75th minute.
Bayern sealed the victory six minutes later as Kane scored his second to make it 2-0 and put the game beyond Stuttgart. The English forward rattled the framework of the goal with a powerful shot from 25 yards. Lennart Karl pounced on the rebound and kept the move alive, which saw the ball reach Luis Diaz. The Colombian squared the ball to Kane, who had arrived inside the box. The 32-year-old calmly turned to beat Andres and slot the ball past Alexander Nubel.
The Bundesliga champions wrapped up a dominating second half with another goal as Angelo Stiller handled the ball in the box in the 90th minute. Kane stepped up and converted from the spot to complete his hat-trick. The England international ended the season with a personal best of 61 goals across all competitions.
Bayern saw off the remainder of the added time to lift the DFB Pokal. It was a professional performance away from home to ensure Die Roten complete the domestic double.
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