Bayern beat Bremen 2-0 to seal German Cup final
Xinhua, April 20, 2016 Adjust font size:
Bayern Munich edged Werder Bremen 2-0 to clinch a spot in the German Cup final by courtesy of Thomas Mueller' s brace on Tuesday.
The German giants ousted the "Green-Whites" in the semi-finals as Mueller' s double strike keeps Bayern' s treble dreams alive. Pep Guardiola' s men will clash with either Borussia Dortmund or Hertha Berlin, who will encounter on Wednesday.
Both sides staged an evenly balanced opening period as Bayern Munich were unable to threat Werder Bremen' s well positioned defence. However, as the match progressed the "Bavarians" took over to break the deadlock with thirty minutes into the game after Xabi Alonso' s corner kick into the box found Mueller, who nodded past Bremen goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald.
Despite the setback Bremen kept it bowling. Jannik Vestergaard missed a promising chance for the visitors before Bayern defender David Alaba cleared the ball into the wrong goal. Nevertheless, own goal by the Austrian international was cancelled though as Fin Bartel' s fouled the defender during the clearance process.
Bremen gained momentum and pressed Bayern into defence but the goals were scored at the other end of the pitch, as Janek Sternberg' s challenge past Arturo Vidal inside the area was enough for referee Tobias Stieler to give a foul play penalty for the hosts. Mueller stepped up sending Wiedwald into the wrong corner to guide Bayern Munich into the 21st German Cup final of the club' s history.
"I can be proud of my team. At the beginning of the second-half they played very well. My team staged a brave performance overall but Bayern is Bayern," Bremen' s coach Viktor Skripnik said.
"We knew that is going to be very difficult to play against Werder Bremen. They played very brave today," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said.
Hertha Berlin host Borussia Dortmund in the Olympia stadium on Wednesday to battle for the last German Cup final berth. Endit