Bayern Munich vs. Stuttgart: Score, Recap and Grades for German Cup Final 2013

Bayern Munich entered the German Cup Final against Stuttgart with a chance to become the first ever German squad to win the mystical treble. It didn't disappoint as FCB overcame a late Stuttgart rally to win 3-2, according to BBC Sport.

Bayern had already captured the Bundesliga title and defeated Borussia Dortmund to win the UEFA Champions League Final one week ago, so the only jewel left in European soccer's version of the Triple Crown was the DFB-Pokal.

Not only was it Bayern's first treble, but it was the first by any German soccer club and the first UEFA treble since Internazionale turned the trick in 2009-10.

While Bayern technically got the better of the play and controlled the ball for the most part, they seemed to be sleepwalking through the first half hour of the match. That is certainly understandable as they were still coming off the high of defeating Dortmund to win the UEFA Champions League one week ago.

FCB's bevy of attackers began to come to life, however, which caused Stuttgart to scramble. That was evident in the 36th minute when Stuttgart midfielder Ibrahima Traore tripped up Bayern defender Philipp Lahm just inside the Stuttgart box. A yellow card was issued to a distraught Traore and Bayern was awarded a penalty kick.

Bayern midfielder Thomas Muller stepped up and confidently buried a powerful strike into the bottom left corner of the Stuttgart net, according to ESPN FC.

Stuttgart goalkeeper Sven Ulreich attempted to outwit Muller, but he guessed wrong and didn't stand a chance against the world-class German national. The Bavarians entered halftime with a 1-0 advantage and didn't look back en route to winning the DFB Cup.

Bayern built upon its lead early in the second half thanks to a beautiful passing combination. Midfielder Arjen Robben had been fairly quiet following his Champions League Final heroics, but he made his presence felt in the 48th minute as he made a majestic run down the right side of the pitch and found Lahm in the box.

The Bayern defender then made his second great offensive play of the match as he sent a pass through the box to a wide open Mario Gomez, who tapped the ball into the back of a vacant net, according to FOX Soccer Trax.

It appeared as though the rout was officially on as Gomez converted again in the 61st minute off a beautiful pass from Muller. Gomez needed only to touch the ball on net as Ulreich was defending the pass.

Gomez has been fantastic against Stuttgart since coming to Bayern as he has netted eight goals in six matches against The Reds, according to FOX Soccer Trax.

Gomez made way for Mario Mandzukic immediately following the goal, and Stuttgart made a couple changes as well. One of those changes paid immediate dividends as Gotoku Sakai came in and found midfielder Martin Harnik with a beautiful cross.

Harnik adjusted well and blasted a header from well out that beat goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, according to ESPN FC.

Harnik didn't stop there as he scored yet again in the 80th minute to bring Stuttgart within one. The marker got Stuttgart excited and livened up the crowd as well, according to FOX Soccer Trax.

Bayern appeared to get lucky when Shinji Okazaki hit the woodwork, but the ball bounced right out to Harnik. His first shot was stopped cleanly by Neuer, but, as if he and the ball were covered in magnets, the ball came to Harnik once again. This time he made no mistake as he blasted it past Neuer and made the score 3-2.

Stuttgart continued to push and gave Bayern everything it could handle until the closing whistle, but it could never execute the equalizer. As valiant as Stuttgart's effort was, the Bavarians were successful in securing the treble.

Grades

Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich): A

After being essentially invisible throughout Bayern's UEFA Champions League Final match against Dortmund last week, Muller stepped up in a big way against Stuttgart. He looked dangerous throughout the contest and was cold-blooded on his penalty kick. Muller also set up Gomez with a beautiful pass for Bayern's third goal and essentially put the match on ice.

Martin Harnik (Stuttgart): A

Stuttgart appeared to be dead in the water with only 30 minutes remaining in the match, but Harnik almost single-handedly got The Reds back in business. He finished a beautiful header to make the match 3-1 and was then "Johnny on the spot" after Okazaki hit the post as he scored on the rebound. He didn't have enough magic left in him to complete the comeback, but he made things interesting.

Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich): A

It is no secret that Lahm is one of the best defenders in the world, but it is easy to overlook his offensive prowess at times. Lahm was a huge part of the Bayern attack on Saturday as he drew the penalty that put FCB up 1-0 and then assisted on Gomez's goal to make it 2-0. He excelled on all parts of the pitch against Stuttgart and may have been the biggest factor in Bayern's win.

Ibrahima Traore (Stuttgart): D+

While it is easy to forget what happened in the first half after Stuttgart's late charge, Traore was responsible for Bayern's first goal. He took Lahm down from behind in the Stuttgart box, which allowed Muller to take a penalty kick. Muller is basically money in the bank in those situations and Traore needed to understand that. He put Stuttgart behind the eight ball and it was never able to fully recover.

Bayern Munich

Player	Position	Grade
Manuel Neuer	GK	B+
David Alaba	LB	B+
Daniel van Buyten	CB	B
Jerome Boateng	CB	B
Philipp Lahm	RB	A
Bastian Schweinsteiger	DM	A-
Javi Martinez	DM	B-
Franck Ribery (90')	AM	A-
Thomas Muller	AM	A
Arjen Robben (83')	AM	B-
Mario Gomez (62')	ST	A

Substitutes

Player	Position	Grade
Mario Mandzukic (62')	ST	C-
Anatoliy Tymoschhuk (83')	DM	C
Xherdan Shaqiri (90')	AM	C

Stuttgart

Player	Position	Grade
Sven Ulreich	GK	C+
Cristian Molinaro (67')	LB	C_
Georg Niedermeier	CB	B
Serdar Tasci	CB	B+
Antonio Rudeger	RB	C
Arthur Boka	DM	C
Christian Gentner	DM	C
Ibrahima Traore (75')	AM	D+
Alexandru Maxim (62')	AM	B
Martin Harnik	AM	A
Vedad Ibisevic	ST	C-

Substitutes

Player	Position	Grade
Shinji Okazaki (62')	AM	A-
Gotoku Sakai (67')	LB	A
Cacau (75')	FW	B-

What's Next

After completing the first treble in German soccer history, Bayern will now have an opportunity to sit back and enjoy it as its long and highly successful season has come to an end.

Bayern couldn't really celebrate its monumental Champions League victory over Dortmund because it had to refocus and prepare for the German Cup Final. There are no matches left to be played this season, however, so Bayern's top players can now shift gears to international play.

Most of Bayern's stars play for the German national team, while Robben plays for the Netherlands, so they will be busy with friendlies and World Cup qualifying matches.

As for Stuttgart, 2012-13 was a great season and it represents something to build upon moving forward. It will be extremely difficult to take down a giant like Bayern next season and beyond, but getting to this point was a huge accomplishment in and of itself.

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