Unlike FC Bayern, the dream of Wembley has come true for BVB. The coup in Paris fuels belief in a football miracle against final favorites Real Madrid.
Sebastian Kehl experienced the semi-final drama of FC Bayern Munich in Madrid “in peace and quiet” on the couch at home. The fact that his wish for a repeat of the 2013 German Champions League final in London was not fulfilled cannot dampen the Dortmund sporting director’s anticipation of the showdown on June 1st. “We would have loved to take advantage of the chance for revenge against Munich at Wembley,” said the 44-year-old, referring to the unforgettable 1:2 against the national arch-rivals eleven years ago in the English football cult site.
But Bayern’s unfortunate 2-1 defeat at the Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday gave the fifth-placed team in the Bundesliga a premier class showdown against the Spanish record champions. Kehl is not intimidated by their impressive collection of titles: “We know that Real are a real finals machine. But we have already beaten big teams in this competition. Why shouldn’t we achieve this miracle at Wembley too?”
Inspired by his own semi-final triumph (1-0) in Paris the day before, he promised a duel at eye level. “We have enough weapons to bring this title back to Dortmund after many years,” said Kehl on ZDF.
With all due respect to the surprise team from Dortmund, Real veteran Toni Kroos sees his team as favorites. “I am convinced that we will do justice to it,” said the 34-year-old German international. “It’s a completely different atmosphere. Wembley, there are a few different feelings that affect you. And I hope that it affects us a little less, that we at least bring the advantage of experience there and get the thing .”
Prinzenpark as a party zone
But the Parisian star ensemble around Kylian Mbappé also went into the duel with BVB with a similar feeling of supposed superiority – and in the end had to watch as the guests turned their home Prinzenpark into a party zone. Borussia began to prepare for their big dream of the final at Wembley in the dressing room. “It was difficult to get the boys out of the locker room. You quickly sink,” said Julian Brandt, describing the ecstasy.
The fact that the next Bundesliga game was scheduled to take place in Mainz next Saturday was completely forgotten on this historic evening for BVB. Out of joy about reaching the Champions League final for the third time after 1997 and 2013, Dortmund really let it rip. Accompanied by fervent singing, the large table in the cabin was temporarily used as a slide. The spontaneous party in the team hotel only ended at 4:30 a.m. “If you don’t celebrate today, you’ll never celebrate again,” said midfielder Marcel Sabitzer.
Online shop overloaded
When they landed at Dortmund Airport on Wednesday afternoon, where around 200 fans gave the team an emotional reception, some of the professionals appeared visibly tired. The enthusiasm of the fans after the surprising success was also evident in the club’s online shop, which was already overloaded at times during the night. Many thousands of fans tried to order the T-shirt with the words “Yellow Wonder Wall” and “London 2024 – Final” that the professionals wore after the final whistle.
As is so often the case in this rather modest season, at least in the Bundesliga, BVB outgrew itself on the international stage. The French champion’s four aluminum hits were seen as the luck of the brave. “We have rightly taken a lot of heat in the league,” said Brandt. “But in the Champions League we showed a completely different face. That’s why we deserved the final.”
The international press is amazed
The international press rated it similarly. “It was an evening in which Borussia Dortmund wrote one of the most beautiful chapters in its history, in which a seemingly inconspicuous team – without big names – achieved something completely astonishing,” commented the English “Guardian”. “Dortmund conquers Paris,” was the headline in the Spanish newspaper Marca. “Edin Terzic’s team had weaker players, but greater collective strength,” said The Telegraph.
Led by Hummels, who was once again outstanding and scored the winning goal with a header in the 50th minute, the Dortmund team refined their strong performance in the premier class. They had already finished the toughest group with Paris, Newcastle United and AC Milan as winners. With every game the self-confidence grew. “I’ve scored far too few Champions League goals in my career anyway. This is a good time to increase,” joked the match winner. Despite his role as an outsider, the 35-year-old veteran, whose contract with BVB expires at the end of the season and whose future has not yet been clarified, believes he has good chances of winning the title: “There is no reason why we shouldn’t believe in winning the final.”
Coach Terzic as a big winner
In addition to Hummels, coach Terzic also emerged as a big winner from the game. His tactical plan against Paris proved ideal in both games and silenced his critics. The 41-year-old, who was threatened with expulsion at the end of December, was celebrated by fans with chants. “I don’t feel any satisfaction, the joy outweighs it,” he said beaming with joy. When asked how it felt to be in the Champions League final, he replied: “That sounds good – surreal.”
Clockmaker Brandt doesn’t want to be satisfied with just taking part in the final. “Everyone knows that we haven’t won anything yet, we’ve just qualified for a new experience.” Marco Reus, who along with Hummels was the only BVB professional to be in the final against Bayern in 2013, saw it similarly: “Now we have to get it, otherwise it would be shit.”