Bayer Leverkusen became just the sixth team in history to complete a German domestic double thanks to a gritty 1-0 win over Kaiserslautern in the final of the DFB-Pokal at the Olympiastadion. A Granit Xhaka thunderbolt clinched just a second-ever DFB-Pokal title for the reigning Bundesliga champions, who held out with 10 men for the entire second half against their valiant opponents. Consequently, Leverkusen have followed in Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen, Koln and Schalke 04's footsteps as the latest team to win the Bundesliga and German Cup in one season, closing out a spectacular term in fitting fashion.
On the back of their Europa League heartache, sweeping Leverkusen changes saw Lukas Hradecky , Robert Andrich , Odilon Kossounou and Patrik Schick all return, but Kaiserslautern's top scorer Ragnar Ache was only fit enough for a place on the bench. An early booking for the reintroduced Kossounou gave the 2. Bundesliga side plenty of encouragement early on, and Hradecky was forced into the first meaningful save in the fourth minute from a Daniel Hanslik drive.
However, Kaiserslautern's bright start was rendered meaningless in the 17th minute, when the ball broke kindly for Xhaka 25 yards from goal, and the ex-Arsenal man produced one of his trademark left-footed rockets into the top corner. © Reuters Xabi Alonso 's men immediately went in search of the second after Xhaka's wonderful opener, but Schick and Alejandro Grimaldo both spurned opportunities for t.
