Borussia Dortmund 1 Wolfsburg 3
Wolfsburg spoiled Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund farewell by beating the Westphalians 3-1 to lift the DFB-Pokal.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put Dortmund in front in Berlin but the Wolves turned the tables with goals from Luiz Gustavo, Kevin De Bruyne and Bas Dost putting them in command before half-time.
Dortmund were unable to summon a response in the second half as Wolfsburg lifted their first trophy since winning the Bundesliga in 2009, and Dieter Hecking’s first ever as a coach.
The result also means Dortmund will enter the Europa League in the qualifying rounds next season, with local rivals Schalke benefitting by taking a berth in the group stage.
Dortmund started well and took the lead after only five minutes when Aubameyang turned in Shinji Kagawa’s cross from the right with a fine swivel and volley.
Mitchell Langerak defended their lead with a good save from Ivan Perisic's shot but he was less convincing when he parried a Naldo free-kick to the feet of Luiz Gustavo, who levelled midway through the first half.
The pendulum then swung in Wolfsburg’s favour when De Bruyne swept a 20-yard volley just inside Langerak’s left-hand post, with the Australian hardly at fault this time.
De Bruyne kissed an emblem on his shirt in memorial of his compatriot and club-mate Junior Malanda, who died in a car accident in January.
Wolfsburg’s first game after Malanda’s shock death was a 4-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and they looked equally hungry on Saturday.
They doubled their advantage five minutes after De Bruyne’s goal, with Dost freeing himself from his marker to head in Perisic’s cross from close range.
Dortmund tried to get back in the game in the second half, with Kagawa's shot kissing the outside of the post and Henrikh Mkhitaryan testing Diego Benaglio.
A dipping Aubameyang free-kick gave the Swiss goalkeeper some more work to do late on but Wolfsburg’s lead was never in doubt as they lifted the DFB-Pokal and inflicted one final defeat on Klopp as Dortmund coach.
