Rarely has a team entered a Champions League final as such a big underdog as Borussia Dortmund did against Real Madrid on Saturday. BVB still believes in its chances.
There was no sign of awe at the small Dortmund airport. Mats Hummels grinned happily with thick headphones on his ears, coach Edin Terzic smiled for selfies with some of the 300 fans: Borussia Dortmund traveled to London for the third Champions League final in the club’s history with great confidence and a decidedly relaxed attitude. Record title holders Real Madrid will be waiting there on Saturday (9 p.m./ZDF and DAZN) as an almost overwhelming opponent. “We firmly believe that we can achieve something great,” said Terzic.
Sporting director Sebastian Kehl also emphasised “the great opportunity we have. We played a fantastic Champions League season and eliminated big names and now we are deservedly in the final against Real Madrid. This final is incomparable to anything.” Kehl even said boldly: “We want to achieve great things. And we are ready to do so. We have the opportunity to make history.”
Real Madrid versus Borussia Dortmund is, at least on paper, the most clear-cut final of recent years. On the one hand: the 14-time winner of this competition, who has not lost a European Cup final in 41 years. On the other hand: the fifth-placed team in the Bundesliga last season.
Experienced versus talented coach
On the one hand: Real’s Carlo Ancelotti (64), who has won more Champions League titles than any other coach in the world (4). And on the other hand: Terzic, 23 years younger, whose coaching position in Dortmund was seriously shaky in the public perception just three months ago – even though BVB boss Watzke demonstratively backed Terzic before the big final: “I can say that Edin didn’t waver! Period,” Watzke told “Bild” (Friday): “We said we would go through with it, and we did.”
At least in the Champions League, they were successful. Terzic is now drawing a lot of strength from the apparently one-sided situation. “If you want to win the Champions League, you have to beat the champions,” he said. “Now the absolute champion in the history of football is waiting for us. The absolute final boss, if you want to put it that way in today’s language.” And Terzic is “firmly convinced that anything is possible in a game.”
BVB received more than 400,000 ticket requests for this final. The club was allocated 25,000 tickets by UEFA. Dortmund fans travel to London using anything that moves: buses, trains, planes or ships. There are also three fan miles at home and public viewings for Borussia supporters in Asia and the USA.
A nostalgic finale
The great euphoria, this black and yellow madness, is reminiscent of 2013, when BVB lost the final against Bayern Munich at Wembley Stadium with an unfortunate 1:2. “We have the feeling that we still have a score to settle. That we still have something to make up for in this city, in this final,” said Kehl, who was the captain eleven years ago.
From a purely sporting perspective, the 1997 final is probably the more appropriate reference. The opponents Juventus Turin dominated European football at the time in a similar way to how Real Madrid has done in recent years. Nevertheless, Dortmund celebrated the only Champions League victory in their club’s history (3:1).
“You take a title like that with you for the rest of your life,” said Lars Ricken, who scored the winning goal at the time and is now BVB’s managing director, on Sky. “What I feel is that there is absolute belief, confidence and self-assurance.”
Dortmund 23/24 as Anti-Dortmund
In that respect, this Dortmund team is a phenomenon. Over the years, it has earned a reputation in the Bundesliga for being particularly fickle. Last year’s championship loss against Mainz 05 was the strongest indication of this. In this Champions League season, however, Borussia has developed a resilience that hardly anyone would have believed it capable of after the trauma of the last Bundesliga matchday in 2023.
In the decisive preliminary round match, AC Milan was awarded a penalty after just five minutes. In the first leg of the quarter-finals, Atlético Madrid threatened to eat Dortmund to death. In the semi-finals, Paris Saint-Germain hit the post or crossbar a total of six times. But the finalists this Saturday are BVB.
The big difference is: “We had something to lose against Mainz 05. Now we have something to win,” said national player Nico Schlotterbeck about the situation a year ago. “The whole world is watching you. Hopefully we can enjoy that and not be too afraid of the name Real Madrid.”
That would be understandable. This Real embodies world class in all positions and in all age groups. In his last game for the club, German international Toni Kroos can become one of the record winners in the history of the premier class on Saturday evening. The Spaniard Francisco Gento won six titles with this club in the 50s and 60s. The current Real stars Kroos, Luka Modric, Nacho Fernandez and Dani Carvajal have five Champions League victories.
Additional payment for Bellingham possible
“It won’t be difficult for me that this is my last game for Real Madrid,” Kroos said in a DAZN interview. “I had this moment of farewell feeling with the last home game in front of our fans. Now it’s just the anticipation of winning this title again.”
It would be Jude Bellingham’s first Champions League victory. He moved from Dortmund to Madrid last year for 103 million euros. In the transfer contract, both clubs agreed on a further payment of millions if the 20-year-old Englishman wins the most important title in European football with Real after the Spanish championship. If BVB loses on Saturday evening, they would at least have a small consolation. But if they beat the big favorites, they would probably never have been so happy to give up so much money.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
