German DFB Pokal 2015 Final: Score, Reaction for Borussia Dortmund vs. Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 to claim their first-ever DFB Pokal crown on Saturday evening, coming back from a goal down to beat their previous best of runner-up in 1995.
Departing Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp was unable to sign off with a victory in what was his last game at the club's helm, with the Wolves' official Twitter account confirming their win:
The Black and Yellows will feel all the more disappointed with their defeat considering it took Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang less than five minutes to open the scoring.
The Gabon international thrust his side into an early lead after being picked out by Shinji Kagawa in the Wolfsburg area and lashing home from range, leaving Wolfsburg stopper Diego Benaglio with little chance.
One might argue that use of initiative ultimately came back to bite Der BVB, who were unable to build on the lead they established and allowed their opponents to worm their way back into the match.
Dortmund still controlled the tempo for great stretches, but as Bundesliga writer Jonathan Harding pointed out, there was no sense of urgency, harking back to their days of old at a most inconvenient time:
Klopp's men were eventually made to pay for their profligacy, too, when Mitchell Langerak could only deflect a Naldo free-kick into the path of an onrushing Luiz Gustavo, who pounced on his chance to level the scores.
Dortmund will have felt this wasn't their day when Marco Reus was pulled up on numerous occasions for offside and a number of debatable calls didn't go in their favour.
That sense of futility only worsened, as Dieter Hecking's men netted their second and third goals within five minutes of one another, with Kevin De Bruyne adding a second before Bas Dost followed up with a third.
Bleacher Report's Stefan Bienkowski made sure to take note of the Black and Yellows' shortcomings, with Wolfsburg evidently the far more clinical of the two parties when taking opportunities in front of goal:
Former Borussia Dortmund winger Ivan Perisic played the role of puppeteer to set up Dost for his header, extending Wolfsburg's lead to two goals and effectively putting the nail in the coffin of his old club.
Ross Dunbar of Fox Soccer raised the point that while the first half may not have belonged to the Wolves, it was certainly they who deserved to be ahead:
"Weird half. Wolfsburg never really dominated at all. Their efficiency in the last-third is just wonderful, though. #BVBWOB
— Ross Dunbar (@rossdunbar93) May 30, 2015"
With such a furious tempo in the first period, it may have been somewhat greedy to expect the same level of entertainment in the second period, where the rate of chances on goal was decidedly slower.
Still, Dortmund plugged away at their foes, but Klopp's men looked tired and uninventive, a trait that's been a grave concern for parts of this season and stands as a disappointing end to the manager's tenure.
Ciro Immobile, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek were introduced as Dortmund tried desperately to claw their way back into the fixture, but absorbing that pressure proved to work in favour of their foes.
Cristian Nyari of Bleacher Report attested to the fact that Dortmund's defeat means their place in next season's Europa League is now even uncertain, a steep fall from a place in the Champions League final of 2013:
Wolfsburg, on the other hand, will take this triumph—their maiden DFB Pokal title—as another sign of how things are improving at the Volkswagen Arena, with the club on course to become a major power in Germany.
Having finished second in the Bundesliga, this latest victory merely serves as further evidence Hecking is steering the outfit in the right direction, with the Wolves likely to be hunting higher honours in 2016.
Post-Match Reaction
Klopp will have assuredly preferred to take his leave of Signal Iduna Park with a final trophy in tow, but it wasn't to be as Dortmund were soundly outclassed at Berlin's Olympiastadion on Saturday.
And even though he may have been tempted to put up a defence of his side, the Black and Yellows boss was forced to admit as much in his post-match comments, per DW:
Klopp also admitted that this final loss in particular would take some getting used to and that a full show of emotion on television wouldn't be suitable:
Hecking, content with bringing Wolfsburg a first German Cup, noted that while he and Klopp may be management rivals, they share a grand relationship off the pitch:
Both managers now head into the new campaign with massively altered perceptions of what lies ahead, Hecking seeking new heights in Wolfsburg while question marks remain over Klopp's next move.
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