Dortmund overpower Leipzig 4-1 to clinch 5th German Cup

Erling Haaland's brace helped Borussia Dortmund to snatch its fifth DFB Cup title after moving 4-1 past Leipzig in the German Cup final on Thursday.

The "BVB" caught a fairy tale start in Berlin's Olympiastadium after opening the scoring with only five minutes played as Jadon Sancho had enough space to curl the ball past Leipzig's goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi from inside the box.

Leipzig was shocked and had problems with Dortmund's powerful pressing in the opening stages.

Edin Terzic's men continued on the front foot and turned their dominance into a tangible reward after Haaland shrugged off Leipzig's defender Dayot Upamecano before slotting the 2-0 lead past Gulacsi at the half-hour mark.

Leipzig tried to respond, but Julian Nagelsmann's team failed to pose a threat in front of Dortmund's goal area.

Meanwhile, Dortmund clinically tripled its lead just before the break after Jadon Sancho finished off a counterattack to give Leipzig a big task for the second half.

After the restart, Leipzig came out with its guns blazing as substitute Christopher Nkunku rattled the woodwork 25 seconds into the second half before dangerous efforts from Marcel Sabitzer and Dani Olmo forced Dortmund custodian Roman Burki into action for the first time.

Leipzig's offensively minded strategy gave Dortmund room for fast breaks, but Thorgan Hazard missed the open goal following Marco Reus's square pass in the 66th minute.

However, Leipzig's efforts eventually paid off in the 71st minute when Dani Olmo unleashed a 20-meter long-range hammer to make it 3-1 on the scoreboards.

The "Bulls" pressed frenetically for another goal, but neither Olmo nor Nkunku was able to make the most of their chances, whereas Dortmund killed the game in the dying seconds of the game after Haaland wrapped up his second goal of the night after poking home Sancho's cutback pass.

With the result, the "BVB" sealed its 5th DFB Cup after 1965, 1989, 2012 and 2017, while Leipzig missed out on its first title in the club history.

"It wasn't our best game, but in finals, it is not important to play good but to win the game. We are hence very delighted that our strategy worked out," said Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic.

"Congrats to Dortmund. I am proud of my team, but of course, if you lose a final, you cannot be happy. I think we showed a great reaction in the second half," said Leipzig head coach Julian Nagelsmann.