RB Leipzig crowns an outstanding second half of the season with the title defense in the DFB Cup. The deserved final victory against Eintracht Frankfurt is impressive proof of the development of the team.
It is not known how much sleep Yussuf Poulsen and Co. had in the night from Saturday to Sunday. It certainly won’t have been much. At least that’s what RB Leipzig’s offensive player announced after the final whistle in the ARD interview with a crisp “not at all!” at. The 28-year-old had previously made a huge contribution to this.
Poulsen brings the turning point
RB and Frankfurt fought for a long time DFB Cup Final 2023 a tough fight at eye level. Clear goal chances were scarce, the tension was noticeable in both teams from the first minute. That was to change after just under an hour when Poulsen came on for the obviously battered but diligent but ultimately hapless Timo Werner. The statics of the game changed immediately, RB acted much more dynamically in his actions with the Dane, forcing Frankfurt to make mistakes – with the logical consequence that the once again outstanding Christopher Nkunku scored the opening goal, albeit with a bit of luck.
Marco Rose knew who to thank after the game, besides the newly crowned Bundesliga top scorer. “With ‘Yussi’ we have (Poulsen, editor’s note) had a really good move. That was good for us. That’s how new energy came onto the pitch,” Leipzig’s coach summed up afterwards.
Nkunku’s “can opener” finally made the pendulum swing in the direction of RB. “Then we really had drive,” said Rose, pleased about the “very mature and well played” final phase, which Dominik Szoboszlai crowned in the 85th minute on a 2-0 lead by – of course – Nkunku.
With patience and efficiency to victory
The successful title defense was further proof that RB had learned to deliver in the decisive games. The right lessons were learned from the two clear final defeats in 2019 against Bayern and 2021 against Dortmund. RB had already shown mental strength in a manpower against Freiburg last year. Patience also paid off against Frankfurt. “This time it was even more deserved,” emphasized Poulsen. You just got more mature. Teammate and birthday boy Lukas Klostermann seconded: “We put in a good performance in every game. It wasn’t our best game. But at the end of the day we play to win. And that’s what we did.”
One can only speculate what would have been possible for RB if the consistency and determination of the past few weeks had been presented throughout the Bundesliga season, while Bayern Munich opened the door wide for a changing of the guard at the top time and time again. Even if the primary objective for the coming season is the renewed Qualification for the Champions League has already been formulated by Rose, sooner or later the bowl will also move to Leipzig. “We want to play more consistently, also in the Bundesliga,” Emil Forsberg sent an initial warning to the competition.
Rose’s provisional coronation
At first, however, the joy of the latest triumph prevails – especially for Rose, who crowned his commitment, which has been more than successful since September last year, with his first title in Germany. And in his hometown. “It feels very special. I’m very grateful to the boys, my staff, the club and our fans,” beamed Rose, whose contract extension beyond 2024 is only a matter of form. “We have now won two titles in our young history. Things are developing in Leipzig that are more than positive. When you look at the happy faces of the people, it’s just fun.”
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