On Saturday evening, Bayer Leverkusen overcame Kaiserslautern 1-0 in the DFB-Pokal final as they completed the domestic double. Despite succumbing to Atalanta in the Europa League final on Wednesday evening, Die Werkself put their woes to one side in order to claim their second ever DFB-Pokal.
However, Kaiserslautern did not make it easy for Xabi Alonso’s side. Dominating the early proceedings, the 2. Bundesliga side looked to make the most of a Leverkusen side still reeling from their Europa League heartbreak.
Nevertheless, the German champions soon took control of the game, and when Granit Xhaka was offered the opportunity to strike from distance, the 31-year-old did not disappoint. An unstoppable finish that curled past Julian Krahl threatened to be the beginning of the end for Friedhelm Funkel’s side.
Regardless, Lautern stood their ground, and when Odilon Kossounou was given his marching orders just prior to halftime, Die Roten Teufel were offered a glimmer of hope. After the interval, the rhythm of the game would remain largely the same, with Alonso’s side dominating proceedings.
Despite having numerous chances to put the game out of Kaiserslautern’s reach, Leverkusen could not find the all-important second goal. As the clock ticked down, a sense of now or never for Kaiserslautern loomed over the Olympiastadion.
However, having to live with Die Werkself is not easy, and the impacts of fatigue started to show as any late flurry to find an equaliser fizzled out, allowing Leverkusen to triumph 1-0. For Lautern, it was far from the result they were hoping for, but it was a magical return to the big stage that they had been dreaming about for the best part of two decades.
For Leverkusen, the domestic double is complete, as they etch their name into German football history as one of the greatest sides the nation has bore witness to.
Kaiserslautern enjoy their day in the sun
It has been 28 years since Kaiserslautern last tasted success in the DFB-Pokal, beating Karlsruher 1-0 in the showpiece event. Despite having just been relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in their history, Die Roten Teufel ensured they ended their season on a high in the German capital.
Bouncing back at the first of asking, Lautern would go on to complete the impossible. Two years after relegation to the 2. Bundesliga, Otto Rehhagel inspired his side to become the first newly promoted team to be crowned champions of Germany.
Since then, the sun has very rarely shone over the Fritz-Walter-Stadion. From overspending in an attempt to compete with the likes of Bayern Munich and Leverkusen to costly renovation works to their home ground for the 2006 World Cup, Lautern left themselves in heaps of debt and trouble.
For such a proud and historic club, relegation to the 3. Liga in 2018 seemed implausible, but worse was yet to come. Three years in Germany’s third tier saw the club fighting for their lives at times from what would have been a catastrophic relegation to the Regionalliga.
Regardless, promotion in 2022 saw Lautern return to the 2. Bundesliga with victory over another fallen giant: Dynamo Dresden. While Die Roten Teufel have secured their spot in the second tier for another season, life outside of the Bundesliga remains difficult, and their golden days have become a distant memory.
However, the DFB-Pokal has offered the club, and most importantly, the fans, a lifeline this season. Once again, the loyal Lautern faithful have been able to bask in the cup final sunshine in Berlin.
While the result may not have gone the way of Friedhelm Funkel’s side, in all honesty, that does not matter. A return to European football would have been magical, but that is not Kaiserslautern’s priority.
Stabilising the club in the 2. Bundesliga before looking upwards to the promised land is the goal for Lautern, and tempting fate with the 3. Liga quite simply cannot happen again. GGFN’s Will Shopland recently visited the Fritz-Walter-Stadion for Kaiserslauterns victory over Magdeburg, and it struck home that, in spite of all their hardships, their loyal fanbase would never turn their back on this side.
The weekend of 2.Bundesliga football with @GGFN_ took us to the Fritz-Walter Stadion. In a must win for either side, it was Kaiserslautern who came out on top with a 4-1 victory. A magnificent atmosphere created by both sets of fans, there is nothing like German football. #FCKFCM pic.twitter.com/nCziwK0f4H
— William Shopland (@Will_Shopland) May 4, 2024
As a club, Kaiserslautern live for these occasions, and while they may not have been as frequent as they would have liked, the fans certainly made the most of it. However, if they can keep steering this once sinking ship back to shore, then maybe days like today will become normal yet again.
GGFN | Will Shopland
