Borussia surprised the whole world
The club from Dortmund made it to the Champions League final for the third time in its history: in 1997, the Bumblebees won the decisive match against Juventus with a score of 3-1, and in 2013, they lost 1-2 to Bayern, and this happened right at Wembley.
Both then and now, Borussia is considered the underdog of the final. However, Dortmund’s current success looks like an exceptional achievement. In the 1990s, Borussia regularly reached Euro Cup finals and won the Champions League after two consecutive Bundesliga titles. In the past decade, Jurgen Klopp took Dortmund to the highest level – the team reached the Champions League final after winning two Salad Bowls and knocked out Real in the semi-finals thanks to the legendary 4 goals of Robert Lewandowski.
Borussia has already secured participation in the Champions League next season but is in fifth place in the Bundesliga and is unlikely to rise higher. But in Europe, Dortmund transformed itself as in the famous memes: in Germany, it is a kitten, and in the Champions League, it is a lion.
Borussia’s victories were partly the result of incredible luck. The team did not receive the most difficult playoff bracket – on the way to the final, Edin Terzic’s team passed PSV (1-1, 2-0), Atlético (1-2, 4-2) and PSG (1-0, 1-0). Well, in the Paris semi-final, the hosts almost broke Dortmund’s posts and crossbars but could not score at least one goal.
However, it is impossible to make it to the finals on luck alone. We must remember how competently Edin Terzic structured the game of his team and with what dedication the players fought on the pitch, from whom no one expected anything. Legends Mats Hummels and Marco Reus lost the memorable 2013 Champions League final. The hero of the recent quarter-final was Marcel Sabitzer, whose career did not work out at Bayern and Manchester United. After an extremely unsuccessful period at Manchester United, Jadon Sancho blossomed. And Dortmund’s top scorer, Niclas Füllkrug, played in the second Bundesliga 2 years ago and could only dream of participating in a tournament of this level.
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In the finals, Dortmund will not be able to count on the frantic home support. But Edin Terzic’s team feels comfortable as an underdog.
Real is used to beating the Germans
Real is going for its 15th Champions Cup and has won 8 of the 8 finals since the tournament was renamed the Champions League. Winning traditions make the Spanish team the favorite in the decisive match: a Real win is estimated at odds of 1.643, a draw – 4.415, a Borussia win – 5.54.
This season, Madrid successfully dealt with three opponents from Germany – Union in the group, RB Leipzig in the round of 16, and Bayern in the semi-finals. In 2014, Carlo Ancelotti led Real to a Champions League triumph in a similar style, as Los Blancos beat Schalke, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern in the playoffs.
In Madrid’s current path in the Champions League, one can find many similarities with the victories of 2 years ago. Real was on the verge of elimination several times at each stage of the playoffs, but each time, they heroically overcame the difficulties.
Los Blancos spend almost the entire season without their main goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, and defensive leader Eder Militao. It took Vinicius and Rodrygo a long time to get used to their new roles in an unusual 4-3-1-2 formation. Former Borussia Dortmund player Jude Bellingham, who will play in the final against his former club, does not shine as often in the spring as in the autumn. But the champion spirit of Real does not disappear: Carlo Ancelotti created an ideal microclimate in the team, and today, any team player can contribute to the victory. Need examples? Joselu scored a brace in the last minutes and became the semi-final hero against Bayern, and Andriy Lunin worthily replaced Thibaut Courtois and won a penalty shootout in the tough quarter-final against Manchester City.
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