Critical assessments by journalists - "Title Kusen now refers to Vice Kusen"
Bayer Leverkusen secured their most successful season ever by clinching a thrilling win in the DFB Cup final and completing the elusive double. The German champions defeated surprise challengers 1. FC Kaiserslautern 1-0 on Saturday thanks to a stunning goal from Granit Xhaka. Before an audience of 74,322 fans in the packed Olympiastadion, the second-division side helmed by seasoned coach Friedhelm Funkel put up a valiant struggle for a significant period of time.
Just three days after their disheartening 3-0 defeat in the Europa League final against Atalanta Bergamo, marking their sole loss of the campaign, Alonso's team clinched their triumph as the favorites. This was Bayer's second DFB Cup victory since 1993, a feat that not only excited the fans but impressed the media as well. Here's a summary of the press commentary.
Bayer Leverkusen wins the DFB Cup final - the press comments
"Augsburger Allgemeine": "Bayer Leverkusen marked their stellar season with the cup win against Kaiserslautern. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga season unbeaten and have now also captured the DFB Cup. It's a shame that Xabi Alonso's team saved their least impressive performance of the season for the Europa League final against Bergamo, but the memory of the disheartening loss could prove advantageous. After all, it's a reminder that even at the top level, slacking off is swiftly punished."
"kicker" (Nuremberg): "Vice-champions are now Champions."
"Spox" (Munich): "Of course, Bayer's season would still have been historically significant even in the event of a loss in the DFB Cup final. It may be a very long time before another team can match their entire Bundesliga season unbeaten. If ever."
"Spiegel" (Hamburg): "Leverkusen had played a historically impressive season. A year and a half ago, they seemed to have not only signed a contract with Xabi Alonso, but also a pact with the soccer gods. But their 51-match streak without loss came to an end last Wednesday in the Europa League final. And as soccer, mind-blowing, is fickle and unfair, this first truly poor performance had the potential to alter the tone of Leverkusen's entire season. Bloody hell! 'Neverlosen' appeared to revert to 'Vizekusen'. (...) But in the end, it was the Leverkusen players who left the dressing room feeling relieved."
"ran" (Unterföhring): "Many expected a landslide victory. Leverkusen as an almost unbeatable monument, Kaiserslautern with a hugely varied season - coupled with the final agony of Wednesday, when the Werkself succumbed 3-0 to Atalanta in the Europa League. Nobody would have been astonished if Alonso's team outclassed them in the first half of the cup final."
"Die Zeit" (Hamburg): "But Leverkusen is no longer Vizekusen. Leverkusen, as we know now, is capable of not just playing highly coordinated soccer, they can also grind out results when necessary. It was laborious, but they protected their 1-0."
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Source: www.stern.de
