German Cup Final

A Luca Toni double put Bayern Munich firmly on track for a treble this season as they clinched a 2-1 German Cup final success over Borussia Dortmund in front of 73,000 fans at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Saturday.

Toni, revisiting the venue where in 2006 he captured the World Cup with Italy, struck in the 11th minute after being fed the ball by Frank Ribery, the France international who had opposed his teammate in the World Cup final.

That goal appeared to have decided the affair only for Dortmund's Mladen Petric to snatch an injury time equaliser, to force extra time.

But Toni, who like Ribery joined Bayern last summer, had the last word when he grabbed the winner in the 103rd minute to hand coach Ottmar Hitzfeld and goalkeeper Oliver Kahn the perfect end to their Cup careers.

"Obviously, leading the team out one last time here in Berlin is a tremendous farewell," said Hitzfeld.

"There's no chance to make up for losing a game like this, you can't come back again next year, so we had to win it here or never.

"I'm overjoyed, because it was a dramatic game which had everything. Dortmund battled away and would equally have deserved to win. At the end of the day, we were the luckier of the teams," added Hitzfeld who previously had a seven-year spell as manager of Dortmund.

Bayern's win was the first leg of what they hope to be a treble.

They are sitting comfortable in the Bundesliga, 10 points clear of the chasing pack and face Saint Petersburg in the UEFA Cup semi-finals.

And Toni warned: "Fantastic, cracking. Winning is always good. Now we'll try and win the title and go for the triple."

This was a final Cup appearance for Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn with Bayern's captain retiring at the end of the season.

For him it was a sixth Cup success.

"I'm feeling a pleasant mixture of sadness and joy, because I know it was my last final, but I'm certainly enjoying it all at the moment," said Kahn.

"But this ominous 90th minute, it's been pursuing me for 20 years now. All the things I've experienced in the last minute, but after you've been through it so often, you become robust.

"After they equalised we still had another half-hour, and we had luck on our side. In a final like that, you need mentally strong players in the decisive situations, and a bit of luck on top."

Dortmund coach Thomas Doll was left to rue a missed opportunity which would have given a bright finish to the season for his team who are lying just 13th in the Bundesliga.

"Losing like that is bitter. We were close to winning it in extra-time. My players are very, very down," said Doll.