If only. The 71st DFB cup final will forever be talked about in terms of what could have been if only referee Florian Meyer had given the quite legitimate goal scored by Mats Hummels in the 64th minute.

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The ball, subsequently shown quite clearly and comprehensively on TV and in photos, was over the line. Further possible doubts that Hummels may have been in an offside position when he converted Lewandowski’s flick on from a Sahin corner were similarly dismissed. So a game which would surely have taken a different direction had the gaol been allowed ultimately ended in a win for Bayern

Jürgen Klopp reflected on the incident and the game, “We all know how the game would have turned out had the goal been allowed to stand. As it was Bayern were able to slow the game, play for time and we tried all we could to take the game to them. Life is just a series of attempts. If everything you tried came off, then it would soon get boring, wouldn’t it? What we put together today against Bayern in the Final was such an attempt, an attempt to win a trophy. Sadly it was not to be. But once again we have presented ourselves as a club and community the like of which can never be matched.”

BVB chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke added, “Even though it is so hard to take this defeat, especially in extra-time, be sure that this is not the last Final we shall play against Bayern.” Bayern won the game in extra time scoring twice, the first goals BVB had conceded in the competition.

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Not only the team, but also the fans, made a huge impression on the final in Berlin. For two days 50,000 of them took over the city. The focal point was the Breitscheidplatz, close to the Ku’damm, from where pictures of the Black n Yellow throng went around the world. Even the River Spree was not immune to the Black n Yellow fever as a BVB boat meandered all day along its waters.

Berlin marked the end of a tumultuous, terrific season albeit one lacking a trophy. Second place had been secured going into the month of May but wins over Hoffenheim (Grosskreutz, Mkhitaryan, Piszczek) and Berlin (Lewandowski (2), Jojic and Mkhitaryan) saw BVB finish on 71 points and gave the side the club’s third best finish ever. That total would have been enough to win the title on eight occasions since the introduction of the three-point rule.

Footnote: Robert Lewandowski followed club legend Lothar Emmerich (1966 and 1967) into the record books as he finished top scorer in the Bundesliga. In 2002, 18 goals had been enough to win Marcio Amoroso the same crown.

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