BERLIN, 30 May 2004 — Bundesliga champions Werder Bremen sealed their first domestic double with a 3-2 victory over Alemannia Aachen in a thrilling German Cup final yesterday.
Two goals from midfielder Tim Borowski helped the northerners to tame their brave second-division opponents, who battled hard despite playing the last 15 minutes with 10 men. Borowski put Werder ahead at the Olympic stadium when he latched on to a Fabian Ernst pass and slammed the ball home from 11 meters on 31 minutes.
Croatian striker Ivan Klasnic doubled the advantage with a low-angled drive from inside the box just before half-time.
Westerners Aachen, who mounted a spirited challenge, pulled one back in the 51st minute with a superb headed goal from defender Stefan Blank, a former Werder player.
Alemannia’s chances received a blow when midfielder George Stanley Mbwando was sent off in the 75th minute for a dangerous tackle on Borowski, who raced into the box to score his second goal of the night nine minutes later.
However, Aachen went down fighting, Dutch striker Erik Meijer giving them a second goal in added time. Four-time German champions Werder are proven Cup specialists, having now lifted the trophy five times. Never before, though, had they won the league and Cup titles in the same season.
They became the fourth German club to do so. Bayern Munich achieved it four times and Schalke 04 and Cologne did it once.
With Werder entering the Champions League, Aachen will play in the UEFA Cup despite losing their third final after 1953 and 1965.
The difference in class between both sides was never obvious, even after Aachen trailed 2-0 at halftime.
Werder survived a couple of scares in the first 30 minutes, notably when midfielder Ivica Grlic fired over the crossbar from the edge of the box on 14 minutes. A minute later Werder defender Mladen Krstajic nearly scored an own goal with a header that went just wide.
Alemannia, who moved past three Bundesliga sides en route to the final and knocked out holders Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, were in contention for promotion until the final round of matches but missed out after losing their last game today.
Palace Promoted After Playoff Victory
Crystal Palace were promoted to the English Premier League yesterday after a 1-0 victory over London rivals West Ham United in the first division playoff final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
Six years after being relegated, Palace completed a remarkable turnaround in their season to join Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion, who were promoted automatically.
Neil Shipperley, who returned for a second spell at Palace this season from Wimbledon, pounced after 62 minutes of a tense match when Andy Johnson’s shot was parried by goalkeeper Stephen Bywater.
Fourth from bottom in December, Palace have been transformed since Iain Dowie, a former West Ham player, took charge.
However, they were only assured a spot in the playoffs because of a last-minute West Ham equalizer at Wigan Athletic on the final day of the regular season — a goal that came back to haunt the debt-laden Hammers.
“This is quite incredible,” Dowie told Sky Sports as the packed ranks of Palace fans began a promotion party. “West Ham are the best team in this division but we came up trumps. “Today we showed heart and soul and desire. We had a game plan and we stuck to it. Now we have to worry about the superpowers in the Premier League.”
