Borussia Dortmund is the second high profile German club today after Bayern. They need UEFA Champion League in their annual agenda, not only for the sake of their quality but also their reputation. Their home ground, the 81,365-seat Signal Iduna Park is the perfect home turf for their opponents with their die-hard fans creating intimidating aftmospheres in each and every of their European fixtures.
Throughout the history of their Champions League campaign, Die Borussen have always had distinguished names in their squad. The likes of Mathias Sammer, Andy Moeller, Juergen Koehler, Michael Zorc, Matts Hummells, Robert Lewandowski, Mario Goetze and Erling Haaland has made the difference in the continental matches.
Nevertheless, when it comes to the manager, their fans might only remember these two, Ottmar Hizfield and Jurgen Klopp. They remain the only Dortmund’s key figures for their outstanding results in this top tier continental competition during their best era, 1990s and 2010s.
Top Achievements
Borussia Dortmund has been one of the few Bundesliga sides which have clinched the UCL title. Their chance to win one came twice, in 1997 and 2013.
In their maiden final of 1997, Ottmar Hizfield’s men made an instant success by snatching a 3-1 victory over the reigning Champions back then, Juventus. Unfortunately, in 2012/13 season, Matts Hummels and Co were unable to rekindle their senior glorious moment as they were bitterly defeated 1-2 by Dortmund’s long standing contender in this decade, none but Bayern Munchen in the first ever German final in the Champions League, Der Klassiker in Wembley. Those are the two notable games in the summit. The next best results was reaching semi final twice, in 1963/64 and 1997/98 seasons. In both occasions, they were beaten by the eventual Champions, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, respectively.
Dortmund’s Iconic Moments in the Champions League
Die Borussen surely have notable moments in the Champions League. Their first entry in this tournament back in 1956/57 season was not included as their campaign ended at the first round. The 1997 final was absolutely irreplacable in their fans memory since they were not the favorite but the final happened to be staged on German soil. Andy Moeller and Co stunned La Vecchia Signora with their star-studded squad. Karl Heinz-Reidl bagged a brace to shut Juventus’ fans. Alessandro Del Piero scored a lifeline but not long after Lars Ricken restored their two-goal lead as he slotted it home.
Another memorable match was in 2012/13 semi final. Jurgen Klopp’s side trounced Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid 4-1 at the first leg. The Polish international star Robert Lewandowski stole the spotlight from Cristiano Ronaldo as he netted all goals while CR7 scored just one.
Despite having remarkable moments, Dortmund also have had unpleasant moments in UCL. Their 1-2 loss in 2013 final was definitely one of them. Lewandowski’s superb form at the semifinal did not continue at the final. He missed several golden chances before Bayern’s opener scored by Mauro Madzukic. Ilkay Gundogan’s penalty lifted their hope for the second title but Arjen Robben’s move buried their dream.
