Even in the Dortmund players’ locker room the walls were shaking. Intoxicated by the epic gala against Atlético Madrid and the ovations from the fans, the professionals let it rip a little later. With fervent chants they celebrated the 4:2 (2:0) victory and their first entry into the semi-finals of the Champions League since 2013.
“We have written BVB history again,” commented sports director Sebastian Kehl with visible pride. And even the experienced club advisor Matthias Sammer, who is known as a constant critic, went into raptures after the emotional roller coaster ride. “It can’t be paid for with anything football can offer you.”
The magic of old, glorious European Cup evenings is back in Dortmund. Minutes after the final whistle, the local football temple resembled a madhouse. “That was magical,” said Niclas Füllkrug in a TV interview on Amazon Prime.
Like the national striker, Julian Brandt was also reluctant to end the entire team’s exuberant victory dance in front of the roaring yellow wall: “These are the evenings that you play football for, that completely take you away. Looking at these happy faces in the south stand is powerful addicted.”
Füllkrug: The final is now the goal
The dream of another final in London, where BVB lost to Bayern in the unforgettable German premier class showdown in 2013, lives on for everyone involved and could become reality with a triumph in the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Füllkrug is hoping for a similar great moment against the French, whom BVB met in the group phase (0:2/1:1): “Via Paris to Wembley? That is of course the goal from now on. Not saying that would be nonsense. “
Club boss Hans-Joachim Watzke looked happier than he had in a long time. With a broad grin, the soon-to-be-outgoing managing director stormed onto the pitch immediately after the final whistle and hugged goalscorer Füllkrug and coach Edin Terzic. “That was extraordinary. It’s a proud day for all Borussia players,” said the 64-year-old after goals from Julian Brandt (34th), Ian Maatsen (39th), Füllkrug (71st) and Marcel Sabitzer (74th).
To Watzke’s delight, BVB managed to pull off a coup at the near end of what had been a mixed season so far, with a significant image gain, which also brought a whopping additional income of at least 12.5 million euros into the club’s coffers. This means that the 100 million euro barrier has already been reached and personnel planning for the coming season will be easier.
Sports director Kehl took advantage of the opportunity to counter the ongoing criticism of a failed personnel policy: “If you think about how we got through the difficult group phase and which opponents we beat, then it shows that this team has an incredible amount of quality . This shows that she has grown together, that she has matured.”
The coach gains a lot of credit
Edin Terzic in particular seemed to have been relieved of a heavy burden. His team’s best performance of the season should put an end to the rumors about his possible departure after the end of the season. “If you say that you deserved to go further against Atlético Madrid, then that’s a big thing for us as a club,” said the Dortmund football teacher, “it was a fantastic evening.”
Positive side effect: With the victory, his team helped the Bundesliga consolidate second place in the UEFA one-year rankings for the time being and can continue to hope for a fifth starting place in the premier class for the coming season.
But nobody at BVB wants to rely on that. The exhilarating sense of success against Atlético should help the Bundesliga fifth-place team to master the difficult national tasks that lie ahead against the new German champions from Leverkusen and the fourth-placed team from Leipzig with the same points, in order to qualify for the Champions League even without special regulations.
“It’s too early for satisfaction and also too early to sit back. We’re far from finished,” said Kehl. The sports director definitely doesn’t want to miss out on magical evenings like the one against Atlético in the coming season and reminded us of Borussia’s self-image: “We belong in this competition.”
