Borussia Dortmund reach Champions League Final
Borussia Dortmund held on to book their place in the UEFA Champions League final despite a 2-0 defeat in the second leg of their semifinal with Real Madrid as the Bundesliga side progressed 4-3 on aggregate.
Real looked down and out before substitute Karim Benzema scored from close range in the 83rd minute and Sergio Ramos struck five minutes later, but with the home fans going wild in the packed stadium Dortmund held on.
After missing several good early chances, Madrid netted two late goals through Karim Benzema in the 83rd minute and Sergio Ramos in the 88th to make the Santiago Bernabeu crowd believe an improbable late comeback was in the works. A 3-0 win would have put Madrid through on away goals, but Jose Mourinho's team never came close to a third despite five minutes of injury time.
Get your Champions League Final tickets online now!!
"It's a shame. Sometimes you lose, that is football," Madrid defender, Sergio Ramos said. "In Dortmund we should have played the way we did tonight. We feel for the fans. It's a shame to have been so close but the missed chances in the first half were costly."
Dortmund is likely to face Bayern Munich in an all-German final at Wembley as the Bundesliga champion holds a 4-0 lead over Barcelona going into Wednesday's return leg.
"Wembley will be one of the greatest moments in our lives, but whichever team we meet, we will not be the favorite," Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said. "In Wembley everyone will see we are not going to be satisfied with just being a finalist."
Madrid was eliminated in the semifinals for the third straight year under Mourinho, and the coach hinted again after the game that this season will be his last in Spain. Asked whether he'll still be at the club next season, the Portuguese coach said "maybe not," before indicating he wants to return to England.
"I know in England I'm loved," Mourinho said. "And in Spain the situation is a bit different, because some people hate me."
Dortmund, the European champions in 1997 on their only appearance in the final, will play German rivals Bayern Munich or Barcelona in the May 25 showpiece at Wembley stadium.
About 1st4FootballTickets.com: Thousands of football tickets are on sale on Europe's biggest football ticketing website: We have German football tickets available such as Bayern Munich tickets, Borussia Dortmund football tickets and tickets for Schalke 04. Last but not least we also have Bayer Leverkusen tickets available.
Real looked down and out before substitute Karim Benzema scored from close range in the 83rd minute and Sergio Ramos struck five minutes later, but with the home fans going wild in the packed stadium Dortmund held on.
After missing several good early chances, Madrid netted two late goals through Karim Benzema in the 83rd minute and Sergio Ramos in the 88th to make the Santiago Bernabeu crowd believe an improbable late comeback was in the works. A 3-0 win would have put Madrid through on away goals, but Jose Mourinho's team never came close to a third despite five minutes of injury time.
Get your Champions League Final tickets online now!!
"It's a shame. Sometimes you lose, that is football," Madrid defender, Sergio Ramos said. "In Dortmund we should have played the way we did tonight. We feel for the fans. It's a shame to have been so close but the missed chances in the first half were costly."
Dortmund is likely to face Bayern Munich in an all-German final at Wembley as the Bundesliga champion holds a 4-0 lead over Barcelona going into Wednesday's return leg.
"Wembley will be one of the greatest moments in our lives, but whichever team we meet, we will not be the favorite," Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said. "In Wembley everyone will see we are not going to be satisfied with just being a finalist."
Madrid was eliminated in the semifinals for the third straight year under Mourinho, and the coach hinted again after the game that this season will be his last in Spain. Asked whether he'll still be at the club next season, the Portuguese coach said "maybe not," before indicating he wants to return to England.
"I know in England I'm loved," Mourinho said. "And in Spain the situation is a bit different, because some people hate me."
Dortmund, the European champions in 1997 on their only appearance in the final, will play German rivals Bayern Munich or Barcelona in the May 25 showpiece at Wembley stadium.
About 1st4FootballTickets.com: Thousands of football tickets are on sale on Europe's biggest football ticketing website: We have German football tickets available such as Bayern Munich tickets, Borussia Dortmund football tickets and tickets for Schalke 04. Last but not least we also have Bayer Leverkusen tickets available.
