Mats Hummels flexed his muscles once again against Paris
Source: AP/Frank Augstein
BVB is in the final of the Champions League. Also because Mats Hummels excelled in both games against Paris. For the final of the premier class, Dortmund’s coach has a clear task for the Dortmund defense chief.
MWith all his routine, Mats Hummels set himself apart from his opponent. The 36-year-old took two steps backwards and suddenly had enough space. Julian Brandt hit the corner right in this room. Hummels rose completely free to head the ball and put the ball into the goal to give BVB a 1-0 lead.
The defender was not only the guarantee of Borussia’s victory at Paris St. Germain because of the goal, which brought Dortmund into the final of the Champions League. Once again he was the outstanding player in BVB’s defense.
I knew I could get the space because I was poorly defended at the corner,” said Hummels on Amazon Prime. “Mats did an outstanding job with the goal,” said BVB coach Edin Terzic after the game and turned directly to Hummels with a view to the final: “But Mats, you have to do it like that one more time.”
The goal into the final – Hummels heads BVB to victory
Source: REUTERS
Hummels repeatedly interrupted the hosts’ attacks with his perfect positioning. Again and again he gave his opponents a fair pass, and Paris’ superstar Kylian Mbappé repeatedly despaired of him. Hummels won every one of his duels until the 65th minute.
Only then, in desperate need, did he bring down Ousmane Dembele in the penalty area to prevent the equaliser. The veteran was shown a yellow card for what, from Dortmund’s perspective, was an important and correct foul.
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In the 70th minute, Hummels scored an effective goal. Nuno Mendes shot the ball into his face from close range with full force, Hummels staggered across the pitch and fell down. But he picked himself up and, like the entire team, defended passionately until the final whistle.
It was a performance that made national coach Julian Nagelsmann ponder whether he should nominate Dortmund’s defense chief for the European Championship, which begins on June 14th. Hummels directed Borussia’s defense with clarity and repeatedly gave crucial instructions to those around him.
As with the 1-0 win in the first leg, Hummels was voted “Man of the Match” by UEFA. Last January and February he was only a reserve for Hummels at BVB; in March 2024 he was not invited to the national team. Since he became a regular player again, he has shown a lot of top performances.
One more win until the Champions League title for Hummels and BVB
Source: AP/Lewis Joly
After the final whistle, the Dortmund team stormed into the fan curve to celebrate the sensation with the supporters who had traveled with them. Hummels initially didn’t jump over the boards and only enjoyed the celebrations from a distance.
“No matter who we are against, we will face a very strong opponent. We have believed in it since the second game in the group phase at the latest. There is no reason for us why we shouldn’t win the Champions League,” said Hummels.
The defender has already announced something for the final: “I haven’t scored enough Champions League goals in my career anyway. This is a good time to increase.”