10-man Leverkusen battle past Kaiserslautern to lift German Cup for first ever domestic double

Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen defeated second-tier Kaiserslautern 1-0 on Saturday to win the German Cup and complete the club's first domestic double.

Leverkusen missed out on a treble after losing 3-0 to Atalanta in the Europa League final on Wednesday, their first loss of the season following a European record 51-game unbeaten streak.

This was Leverkusen's second German Cup victory, following their first win in 1993.

Granit Xhaka's 20-metre missile in the 16th minute secured victory for the champions at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, which will host the Euro 2024 final in July.

They kept the tempo even after being reduced to ten men by Odilon Kossounou's second booking a minute before halftime.

Kaiserslautern posed little threat after the break, with Leverkusen comfortably holding on to complete a memorable season with a second trophy.

"It was a deserved victory," said club CEO Fernando Carro. "We could have added another goal but overall a fully deserved win. We lifted the Cup after we failed to do so Wednesday. Compliments to the team to win this double."

Long derided as 'Neverkusen' for failing to win a major title since the 1993 Cup win, Leverkusen finished the season with more silverware after winning the Bundesliga title without losing a single game, becoming the first German team to do so.

SportsLigue