2021 DFB-Pokal Final
# 2021 DFB-Pokal Final

The 2021 DFB-Pokal Final decided the winner of the 2020–21 DFB-Pokal, the 78th season of the annual German football cup competition. The match was played on Thursday, 13 May 2021 (on the Feast of the Ascension, a German public holiday) at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. The match was originally scheduled for Saturday, 22 May 2021, but was moved to an earlier date prior to the completion of the league season in Germany. This was due to fixture density caused by the late start of the season, originating from the postponement of the end of the previous season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As with other competitions, the match was played behind closed doors without any spectators.

The match featured RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund won the final 4–1 for their fifth DFB-Pokal title.

Due to the scheduling change, the match was the first DFB-Pokal final since 2008 to be played prior to the end of the league season, and the first final since 1985 to not be played on a Saturday. Additionally, it was the first final not played on a weekend since 1984, which was also the only prior final played on a Thursday.

As winners, Borussia Dortmund featured in the 2021 edition of the DFL-Supercup at the start of the following season, and facing the champion of the 2020–21 edition of the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich. The winner of the DFB-Pokal also earns automatic qualification for the group stage of the 2021–22 edition of the UEFA Europa League. However, as Dortmund already qualified for the 2021–22 edition of the UEFA Champions League through their position in the Bundesliga, the spot went to the team in sixth, and the league's UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round spot went to the team in seventh.

## Teams

In the following table, finals until 1943 were in the Tschammerpokal era, since 1953 were in the DFB-Pokal era.

| Team | Previous final appearances (bold indicates winners) |
| - | - |
| RB Leipzig | 1 (2019) |
| Borussia Dortmund | 9 (1963, 1965, 1989, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) |

## Route to the final

The DFB-Pokal began with 64 teams in a single-elimination knockout cup competition. There were a total of five rounds leading up to the final. Teams were drawn against each other, and the winner after 90 minutes would advance. If still tied, 30 minutes of extra time was played. If the score was still level, a penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner.

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).

| RB Leipzig | RB Leipzig | Round | Borussia Dortmund | Borussia Dortmund |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Opponent | Result | 2020–21 DFB-Pokal | Opponent | Result |
| 1. FC Nürnberg | 3–0 (A) | First round | MSV Duisburg | 5–0 (A) |
| FC Augsburg | 3–0 (A) | Second round | Eintracht Braunschweig | 2–0 (A) |
| VfL Bochum | 4–0 (H) | Round of 16 | SC Paderborn | 3–2 (a.e.t.) (H) |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2–0 (H) | Quarter-finals | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 1–0 (A) |
| Werder Bremen | 2–1 (a.e.t.) (A) | Semi-finals | Holstein Kiel | 5–0 (H) |

## Match

### Details

| RB Leipzig | Borussia Dortmund |
| - | - |
| GK | 1 | Péter Gulácsi |
| CB | 16 | Lukas Klostermann |
| CB | 5 | Dayot Upamecano | 45+1' |
| CB | 23 | Marcel Halstenberg |
| DM | 44 | Kevin Kampl | | 62' |
| RM | 22 | Nordi Mukiele | | 62' |
| CM | 25 | Dani Olmo | 81' |
| CM | 7 | Marcel Sabitzer (c) |
| LM | 8 | Amadou Haidara | | 70' |
| CF | 19 | Alexander Sørloth | | 46' |
| CF | 11 | Hwang Hee-chan | | 46' |
| Substitutes: ||
| GK | 33 | Josep Martínez |
| DF | 4 | Willi Orbán |
| DF | 6 | Ibrahima Konaté |
| DF | 39 | Benjamin Henrichs | | 70' |
| MF | 10 | Emil Forsberg | | 62' |
| MF | 18 | Christopher Nkunku | | 46' |
| MF | 27 | Konrad Laimer | | 62' |
| FW | 9 | Yussuf Poulsen | | 46' |
| FW | 21 | Justin Kluivert |
| Manager: ||
| Julian Nagelsmann ||
| GK | 1 | Roman Bürki |
| RB | 26 | Łukasz Piszczek |
| CB | 16 | Manuel Akanji |
| CB | 15 | Mats Hummels | 90' |
| LB | 13 | Raphaël Guerreiro |
| DM | 23 | Emre Can |
| CM | 22 | Jude Bellingham | 25' | 46' |
| CM | 8 | Mahmoud Dahoud | 50' | 74' |
| RW | 7 | Jadon Sancho | 81' | 89' |
| CF | 9 | Erling Haaland | | 90+2' |
| LW | 11 | Marco Reus (c) | | 90+2' |
| Substitutes: ||
| GK | 40 | Stefan Drljača |
| DF | 14 | Nico Schulz |
| DF | 24 | Thomas Meunier | | 89' |
| MF | 6 | Thomas Delaney | | 74' |
| MF | 19 | Julian Brandt | | 90+2' |
| MF | 20 | Reinier |
| MF | 32 | Giovanni Reyna | | 90+2' |
| MF | 36 | Ansgar Knauff |
| FW | 10 | Thorgan Hazard | | 46' |
| Manager: ||
| Edin Terzić ||
| Man of the Match: Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund) Assistant referees: Mark Borsch (Mönchengladbach) Stefan Lupp (Zossen) Fourth official: Sascha Stegemann (Niederkassel) Video assistant referee: Günter Perl (Pullach) Assistant video assistant referee: Markus Häcker (Waren) | Match rules 90 minutes. 30 minutes of extra time if necessary. Penalty shoot-out if scores still level. Nine named substitutes. Maximum of five substitutions. |
