Turbulent CL night against Madrid: BVB races on the roller coaster into “madness”

Turbulent CL night against Madrid
BVB races into “madness” on the roller coaster

April 17, 2024, 7:13 a.m

Borussia Dortmund is experiencing a turbulent evening of football in the Champions League. The Black and Yellows get off to a furious start, then squander a 2-0 lead, suffer, fight back and escalate with the final whistle. Now it’s time for the semi-finals – against PSG.

BVB and FC Bayern have one thing in common this season. As much as they are a stranger to their performances in the Bundesliga and chase after their own goals, they shine just as much on the European stage. The Champions League is (so far) the place of comfort for the German football giants, who are dragging themselves through this season with problems and grueling discussions. On this Tuesday evening, at least Borussia Dortmund made a large part of it forgotten. After a wild and thrilling quarter-final second leg against Atlético Madrid (4-2), Edin Terzić’s team stormed into the round of the best four teams in Europe and, as in the group phase, will once again face Kylian Mbappé and Paris St. Germain.

Against the strong mentality beasts of the Rojiblancos, the Dortmund team had to do in their hyped-up football temple what their coach so often philosophizes: they had to be courageous and hard-working. They had to suffer and needed all their resilience. Winter loanee Ian Maatsen hit a long cross from the left side at the far post in the fourth minute of added time and headed it out of the danger zone. He then fell to the ground, quickly got up again – and just had to cheer. Referee Slavko Vincic blew the whistle and Dortmund went crazy with happiness.

Two bangs after kick-off

“Semi-final Champions League – that’s crazy,” said Niclas Füllkrug, who redeemed himself after nine games without a goal and the stadium with the 3-2 (71st minute). BVB was on a rollercoaster. Emotionally it went up and down, unrestrained, thrilling, breathless. That’s how it was from the first minute. With the kick-off, the two teams ran wildly at each other. Marcel Sabitzer missed a great chance after just three minutes. Because he hesitated for a moment too long, his shot from close range was deflected. The opportunity that Álvaro Morata missed shortly afterwards was even greater. From the halfway line he stormed unstoppably towards the BVB goal, but lobbed the ball just wide (5th). It was a fight with flying fists, no guard, that apparently frightened both teams.

The chains, which were very airy during these minutes, were sealed in no time. The game did not lose any of its dynamism or fascination. Only the moments of stopping breathing became fewer. BVB took over, after all they first had to equalize the deficit from the first leg (1:2) in order to then chase further goals. Dortmund combined well and shot on goal, but they really lacked power and precision. And there was always the danger of being countered by the tactically clever guests. But then Julian Brandt came along and brought great joy to the stadium for the first time. From a tight angle, he hit the ball through goalkeeper Jan Oblak’s legs and into the goal. The offensive man, who is currently left out of the DFB team, scored for the first time since January 13th.

As soon as the fans had recaptured themselves and their first happiness, the next endorphin kick hit them. Maatsen bravely moved into the penalty area from the left and increased the score to 2-0. Atletico didn’t know what was happening to him at this stage. And the people of Dortmund were already celebrating the next magical night in Europe. On this terrain she had saved herself and her trainer again and again. In the Bundesliga, the team is fighting against RB Leipzig to qualify for the Champions League. That is the minimum standard for this club, which has never really recovered from last summer’s championship drama and the departure of their young leader Jude Bellingham, who is now orchestrating Real Madrid’s hero football. Emotionally, Borussia have been dancing on the edge all season, the coach is constantly receiving criticism and media blows.

From now on the only goal is Wembley

But then there is the Champions League, this competition that always gathers so much momentum in the spring and keeps fans on the continent in suspense. Possibly also this Wednesday evening, when FC Bayern with coach Thomas Tuchel meets Arsenal FC again (2:2) and Manchester City and Real Madrid meet again for what could be an epic night (3:3). After Dortmund’s victory, in this strange season for the German giants, a repeat of the Wembley final suddenly seems possible, like in 2013, when Munich won. At least at BVB they are giving up all restraint. “That is of course the goal from now on. Not saying that would be nonsense,” said Füllkrug.

The road after the 2-0 was still rocky and after an own goal by Mats Hummels (49th) and the equalizer by Angel Correa (64th), all dreams seemed to be dashed. It was the guests’ turn and they had massively increased the pressure. BVB wavered. But he shook himself quickly, absorbed the power of the stands and continued to believe that he could turn things to his side. “The stadium was magical, the atmosphere was incredible. We had incredible energy on the pitch,” praised Füllkrug. Substitute Jamie Bynoe-Gittens also brought fresh energy. And suddenly everything happened very quickly again. Dortmund stormed forward, Madrid retreated. The outstanding Marcel Sabitzer, another face of BVB’s mixed season, put Füllkrug in the spotlight and headed the ball into the goal (71′).

“This is a proud day for all Borussia players”

Again there was hardly any time to understand how lucky it was because Sabitzer had already struck, making it 4-2 in the 74th minute. The old Westfalenstadion shook, the goalscorer sprinted in front of the yellow wall and stood in front of it. All the suffering, all the discussions, they sank into gigantic ecstasy. “This is a proud day for all Borussia, it was a roller coaster ride. Huge compliment to the team,” said managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke on Prime Video: “To come back like this is something you have to do first.”

Now there are only two steps left to the final. Borussia initially have home advantage in the semi-finals. Against the star ensemble around the lightning-fast Mbappé, who is the linchpin of the PSG game, the BVB professionals rely on their learning effect. “We played a very bad game in Paris,” said Brandt about the 2-0 defeat at the Parc de Princes in September. “We learned from that and played 1-1 here. We’re slowly getting close to winning.”