Borussia Dortmund: Highs and lows from the dramatic 2012/13 season
By Adam Bakr
With the Bundesliga postponed until April at the earliest, it’s a chance to look back at the different Borussia Dortmund seasons over the course of the last decade.
Coming off the back of two Bundesliga titles, the 2012/13 season was a memorable campaign for the side, despite the disappointment that surrounded the season. Throughout that season and now looking back on the side, there was always a feeling that this was the most talented squad of the decade, even though the results did not always suggest it.
High: Making the Champions League Final
The 2012-13 season saw Borussia Dortmund make it back to the Champions League Final for the first time since they won the competition in 1997. While they would fall in the final this time, the run remained a memorable one.
It started with the Black and Yellows being drawn into the ‘Group of Death’ with Real Madrid, Manchester City and AFC Ajax. It was a tough group on paper, but it would serve as Dortmund’s statement of intent for the competition, as they won the group and went undefeated in the process. Had it not been for a late penalty and freekick in their trips to Manchester and Madrid respectively, the Black and Yellows would have left the group with a perfect record.
From there Dortmund drew Shakhtar Donetsk, who they would beat 3-0 at the Westfalenstadion after an entertaining 2-2 draw in Ukraine to start the knockout rounds. This set up a quarter final clash against Malaga, which would be one of the most memorable matches of the decade.
Dortmund were unlucky to leave Malaga with a 0-0 draw in the first leg, as they largely dominated the game and saw plenty of clear chances go to waste. Mario Gotze was the main culprit of that, missing three golden opportunities to get Dortmund a valuable away goal.
The misses came to bite Dortmund, as Malaga took the lead in the first half of the second leg, which meant Dortmund would have to win the game outright to advance. Robert Lewandowski equalized before the half, but Dortmund found themselves down 2-1 going into the 90th minute after another half of seeing clear chances go astray.
Needing a miracle, two goals in three minutes from Marco Reus and Felipe Sanata turned the tie around and saw Dortmund advance in near-impossible fashion.
That set up another memorable home game against Spanish opposition, this time in the semifinals against their group stage opponents Real Madrid. This game was the Lewandowski show, as the Polish striker found the net four times in the first leg to give Der BVB a 4-1 win. The four goal outing brought Lewandowki’s Champions League total to 10 goals for the season.
Despite the big win, Dortmund would have to survive a nervy trip to the Bernabeu, and after a wasteful night from both sides, Madrid took a 2-0 lead with two late goals, leaving them one away from advancing. Jurgen Klopp’s side would hold on, and advanced to the final despite falling to their first defeat of their European campaign. It wasn’t all good news however, as Mario Gotze limped off the field with an injury that would rule him out of the final.
The semifinal was the end of the happy days, as Dortmund would fall to a 2-1 loss to their rivals Bayern Munich. Goals from Mario Mandzukic and Ajen Robben either side of an Ilkay Gundogan penalty saw Dortmund fall short. Despite the loss, the run is one to look back at fondly, and Dortmund are yet to make it back to that promised land since.