Eintracht Frankfurt clinched their fifth German Cup after beating Bayern Munich 3-1 by courtesy of Ante Rebic's brace in the final at outsold Berlin Olympia stadium.
The "Eagles" have flabbergasted uninspired Bayern Munich in the German Cup final and spoiled Jupp Heynckes' last game as Bayern coach as Ante Rebic's double strike smoothed the way for the win before Mijat Gacinovic sealed the deal in the dying seconds of the game on Saturday, Xinhua reported.
Bayern grabbed a bright start into the final as Robert Lewandowski ensured the first chance of the game after rattling the woodwork with eight minutes played.
However, it were Frankfurt who caught a fairy tale start against the German record champions as James Rodriguez fumbled the ball allowing Ante Rebic to beat Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich with a low shot in the 11th minute.
The Bundesliga champions assumed control and squandered several promising opportunities. Hence, Bayern had to take a 1-0 deficit into the half time.
After the restart, the "Bavarians" were able to restore parity as Joshua Kimmich's square pass found Robert Lewandowski, who poked home from inside the box to make it 1-1 on the scoreboards.
Jupp Heynckes' men gained momentum but lacked in accuracy in front of Frankfurt's goal area. Eintracht Frankfurt responded well to the equalizer and shocked Bayern in the closing period as Ante Rebic shrugged off Niklas Suele to beat Ulreich once again in the 82nd minute.
Bayern pressed frenetically for the late leveller but clinical Frankfurt caught the "Bavarians" flat footed as Mijat Gacinovic tapped home the 3-1 win into the empty goal.
With the result, Frankfurt lift their first German Cup since 1988 as head coach Niko Kovac upset his future employer Bayern Munich in the final. The "Eagles" booked thus their UEFA Europa League group stage ticket.
"Football can write the most beautiful stories. I am happy for the club and the team. When you stand together you can do it all. Last year we lost this final. This year we are the happy ones. I had great two-and-a-half year here but I leave the club on a high note," Frankfurt head coach Niko Kovac said.
--IANS
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