© EuroFootball.com
The newly crowned German champion Bayern Munich on Saturday won the cup (DFB-Pokal) final held at the Berlin Olympic Stadium against the team from Gelsenkirchen and for the fifth time in its history secured the double.
Both clubs fought for the Bundesliga champions title in the last part of the season, and since "Bayern" emerged victorious, it was a good opportunity for "Schalke" to seek revenge, although questionable referee decisions marred the duel of the two German giants.
"Bayern" had no luck in the first half, as a goal by C. Pizarro was disallowed due to a dubious offside, but in the 42nd minute the Bavarians managed to take the lead - a shot by Ze Roberto bounced off the crossbar, and although the first attempt by R. Makaay was stopped by the defender M. Bordon, the Dutchman scored with the second one past the opposing goalkeeper.
Nevertheless, fortune smiled on the "Schalke" team at the end of the first half, as the Brazilian Lincoln converted a questionable penalty and leveled the score, maintaining the intrigue.
In the second half, the score remained unchanged for a full half hour, but in the 76th minute, just after coming onto the field as a substitute, H. Salihamidzic received a pass from R. Makaay and sent the ball into the net from close range. This decisive goal was counted, but in television replays it was clear that the Bosnian was in an offside position.
The Bavarian team held on for the remaining time of the match and secured the double in Germany - winning both the league and cup competitions in the same season. Last season, the same achievement was accomplished by Bremen's "Werder", while in the history of the "Bayern" club, the German cup was won for the twelfth time.
