German Cup slips away from FC Bayern Munich

It’s been a bittersweet week for FC Bayern Munich: while they were able to wrap up the Bundesliga title over the weekend, a trip to the German Cup Final literally slipped out from underneath them against Borussia Dortmund.

By the end of the weekend, formal confirmation of the inevitable had finally arrived: FC Bayern Munich had won the Bundesliga title, four matches before the end of the season. Given Bayern’s dominance this year, exactly no one was surprised, and the team quickly refocused on their German Cup semifinal tie with Dortmund.

For Bayern to keep their hopes alive of winning all three major titles – Bundesliga, German Cup, and Champions League – the match was a must-win, but unfortunately it was Dortmund who punched their ticket to the final match in Berlin at the end of May.

Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski put the home team on the board first in the 23rd minute, and most of the match was firmly in Bayern’s control.

But Dortmund found new life in the final 15 minutes and managed to equalize, sending the match into extra time. When neither team managed to score, the match went into a penalty shootout.

Slippery slope in penalties

This is where the scales finally tipped in Dortmund’s favor. Bayern’s first two penalty takers – Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso – slipped on the grass and sent their shots well off target. The third shooter, Mario Götze, had his shot blocked by an excellent save by Dortmund’s keeper Mitchell Langerak. When Manuel Neuer’s penalty attempt bounced off the crossbar, Bayern had missed one too many, and the team’s German Cup campaign was over.

“We failed to wrap it up in normal and extra time. The luckier team wins in a shootout.” (FC Bayern Captain Philipp Lahm)

Injuries to two key players made the evening even harder for Bayern: Arjen Robben – celebrating a comeback to the squad on Tuesday after missing several weeks with a rib muscle injury – lasted just 16 minutes after being subbed on before falling to the turf clutching his calf. Diagnosis: a torn muscle, ending his season. Robert Lewandowski sustained a broken jaw, broken nose, and a concussion in a collision with Dortmund’s keeper. It is unclear how much time he’ll miss.

Now, Bayern will be focusing all their energy on the Champions League semifinal matchups with Barcelona on May 6 (away) and 12 (home).

With a little luck, Bayern could be headed to Berlin after all – that’s where the Champions League final is being held on June 6! We’ll certainly be keeping our fingers crossed, and you can stay up to date right here on DHL InMotion.