Niko Kovac, who will take over as Bayern Munich manager this summer, beat Bayern in the DFB-Pokal final with Frankfurt.
Frankfurt won their first trophy for 30 years on Saturday, beating Bayern Munich 3-1 in a dramatic DFB-Pokal final that saw Niko Kovac beat his soon-to-be employers. The result also meant Jupp Heycnkes’ latest, and probably last, stint at Bayern ended with a loss.
Frankfurt were huge underdogs heading into the match, despite a positive season that saw them finish eighth in the Bundesliga, but took an early lead through Ante Rebic in only the 11th minute after a well-timed run and finish.
Bayern took over from there, and finally made a breakthrough in the 53rd minute through Robert Lewandowski. To Frankfurt’s credit, they continued to battle hard, and didn’t wilt in the face of Bayern’s superior individual quality.
With Bayern pushing forward for the lead, Frankfurt stunned the favorites again in the 82nd minute. Rebic got his second of the match, capitalizing on Bayern’s high line and holding off Mats Hummels to finish.
That set up a dramatic finish, which came to a head when Kevin Prince Boateng appeared to kick Javi Martinez in the Frankfurt penalty area. The referee decided to award a penalty after reviewing the play.
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Frankfurt killed the game from the ensuing corner, Mijat Gacinovic running clear to pass into an empty net with Sven Ulreich stranded in the opposition penalty area. The win will sting for Bayern, who were seeking their 20th DFB-Pokal.
They may, however, take solace from the fact they were beaten by their new manager. Kovac’s Frankfurt were hugely impressive, defending diligently and attacking with purpose on the break. Kovac won’t be able to adopt the same approach at Bayern, but this result was testament to his qualities as a manager.