BERLIN Schalke 04 won their share of silverware by putting their hands on the German cup as the curtain fell on a crazy season which will go down in history as Bayern Munich's year.

The Gelsenkirchen club's 2-0 victory over lowly Union Berlin in Saturday's final was little more than a consolation prize just one week after they were denied the league title by Bayern in a dramatic Bundesliga finale.

The Munich Club went on to beat Valencia on penalties for their first European cup triumph in 25 years and now dream of reviving the glory days of the 1970s, when Franz Beckenbauer and company won the coveted trophy three times in succession -- from 1974 to 1976.

Schalke entertained the crowds with some exciting football and came tantalizingly close to their first German crown since 1958 but the team of the season is Bayern, Reuters reported.

"We're not Bayern," Schalke Coach Huub Stevens admitted. "They have been at the top for years and know how to handle pressure in big games.

"Great teams make their luck and that's why Bayern beat us into second place. They deserve to be where they are and we're not complaining about our situation."