Werder Bremen won the 66th German Cup final by holding off Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1-0. The winning goal was scored by Mesut Özil in the 58th minute. The cup victory means Bremen will play internationally in 2009-10 in the UEFA Europa League.

A sold-out crowd of 72,954 at the Berlin Olympic Stadium saw an entertaining match from the start and Werder Bremen took control after a quarter-hour. Thomas Schaaf’s team stood very well in defence, organised by centre back Naldo and kept Leverkusen’s strikers Patrick Helmes and Stefan Kießling in check. And Werder playmakers Mesut Özil and Diego did a fine job pushing the Bremen attack forward.

But Werder failed to take advantage of a number of good chances in the first half, including a header by Sebastian Prödl (6’), a long distance shot from Torsten Frings (16’), a shot by Diego (25’) and Naldo’s dangerous header (45’). Leverkusen’s best chance came after 22 minutes as Renato Augusto fed Helmes, who was alone from 12 yards out but shot wide of goal as the game went to intermission dead-locked at 0-0.

Werder were finally rewarded for their determination in the 58th minute. Diego sent a superb ball from the midfield to Özil and the talented midfielder unleashed a blast from the left side which was slightly deflected by Manuel Friedrich past Leverkusen keeper Rene Adler for the Bremen lead. Leverkusen increased their offensive pressure and actually began dominating play. Bruno Labbadia’s team, however, were unable to convert their chances on offence late in the game as Bremen held on for the victory. The victory was also a fond farewell for Diego, who is transferring to Juventus Turin, and Frank Baumann, who is heading into retirement. The Green-Whites won their sixth German Cup final.