BERLIN — Ante Rebic struck twice as Eintracht Frankfurt upset champion Bayern Munich 3-1 Saturday to win the German Cup for the fifth time and deny its opponent the domestic double to mark the retirement of coach Jupp Heynckes.
Croatian Rebic scored either side of a Robert Lewandowski equalizer and Frankfurt added a third in stoppage-time to make amends for last season’s final loss.
It was a bittersweet farewell for Bayern’s Heynckes, who will go back into retirement after taking over in October and leading them to its sixth straight Bundesliga title. Heynckes had coached them to the treble in 2013.
In a contrast of emotions, his Frankfurt counterpart Niko Kovac, who will take charge of Bayern next season, was lost in the arms of his players as he celebrated Frankfurt’s first Cup win in 30 years.
“That’s life,” Kovac said. “I am happy for these amazing fans and for my team.
“When you stand together you can do everything. That is what marked this team for my two-and-a-half years here. Last year we missed out but this year we made it. We deserved it.”
Bayern squandered half a dozen golden chances through Bundesliga top scorer Lewandowski, Thomas Mueller and Joshua Kimmich before the break rescued Frankfurt.
“We did not use our chances,” Heynckes said. “In sports there are wins as well as defeats. Tonight was an avoidable defeat,” the 73-year-old added.
Villarreal holds Real
Real Madrid suffered a potential confidence jolt ahead of next week’s Champions League final against Liverpool as it threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Villarreal in its final La Liga game of the season Saturday.
Gareth Bale continued his bid for a starting berth in the Kiev final by scoring his fourth goal in three league games to fire Real ahead in the 11th minute, and Cristiano Ronaldo headed in a cross from Marcelo to make it 2-0.
Zinedine Zidane fielded an almost full-strength team.
Colombian forward Roger Martinez pulled a goal back for fifth-placed Villarreal with 19 minutes remaining and Samuel Castillejo completed the home side’s revival by capitalizing on a nervous moment from Zidane to knock the ball into an empty net in the 85th minute.
Real ended a disappointing domestic season in third place on 76 points, 14 behind champions Barcelona which can increase the gap to 17 if it beats Real Sociedad Sunday. Second-placed Atletico, on 78, hosts Eibar.
The point was enough to ensure Villarreal finished fifth in the standings on 61 points, one above sixth-placed Real Betis, who lost 3-2 to Leganes.
Monaco and Lyon clinch Champions League spots
Monaco and Olympique Lyonnais secured Champions League spots with victories in the final round of Ligue 1 matches as Olympique de Marseille’s season ended in disappointment Saturday.
Monaco finished runner-up to Paris St Germain after its 3-0 win at Troyes sent its opponents down to Ligue 2, while Lyon ended third after coming from behind to beat Nice 3-2, thanks to Memphis Depay’s treble.
Fourth-placed Marseille, which lost to Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final Wednesday, beat visiting Amiens 2-1 but it was not enough to put it on the podium.
It end up with 77 points, one behind Lyon, while Monaco has 80.
But PSG, who had already been crowned, finished well clear on 93 points after a 0-0 draw at Caen that kept the Normandy side in the elite.
Marseille will play in the Europa League, along with fifth-placed Stade Rennais and sixth-placed Girondins de Bordeaux, who respectively drew 1-1 at home to Montpellier and won 4-0 at Metz.
Troyes joins bottom club Metz in Ligue 2 while Toulouse beat En Avant Guingamp 2-1 to finish 18th and will play either AC Ajaccio or Le Havre in a playoff. — Agencies
