Kane and Diaz strike to secure Bayern's Pokal final ticket as Leverkusen bow out

Kane and Diaz strike to secure Bayern's Pokal final ticket as Leverkusen bow out

Bayern Munich's quest for a domestic double remains alive and well after they defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 in the DFB-Pokal semi final tonight. Vincent Kompany's side will travel to Berlin and contest the final for Germany's jewel-encrusted cup for the first time since 2020.

The Bavarians took the game to their hosts from the first whistle, with Dayot Upamecano heading over the bar before Luis Díaz forced Mark Flekken into a smart save. Leverkusen largely struggled to break out of their own half as the red waves remained impenetrable.

It seemed like only a matter of time before the resistance collapsed and Bayern surged into a 1-0 lead on 22 minutes. Jamal Musiala's perfectly weighted cross from the right was left by the spatially aware Díaz. Harry Kane lay unmarked to dispatch into the roof of the net.

All three of Michael Olise, Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović tested Flekken with somewhat tame shots thereafter. Leverkusen struggled to muster anything in the final third, requiring Kasper Hjulmand to replace Lucas Vasquez with the pace of out wide.