Borussia Dortmund's Champions League season promised so much, only to end abruptly and prematurely.
Since reaching the finals in 2024, the BVB have only regressed: they lost out in the quarter-finals last year and failed to even make it to the round of 16 this season.
In fact, it was their earliest exit from the competition since 2021-22 season when Die Borussen went out in the group stages.
Here's a full review of their Champions League run:
The League Phase
It all began in a classic Borussia Dortmund fashion: chaotic and entertaining. Just as they began the Bundesliga season with a 3-3 draw to St. Pauli, the BVB oversaw a 4-4 stalemate with Juventus on matchday one.
Niko Kovac's side were leading 4-2 in the game, until a late collapse allowed the Bianconeri to fight back and snatch a point. There were no issues dispatching Athletic Bilbao and Copenhagen though, as the side netted four goals each, thereby becoming the first side in Champions League history to score at least four times in each of their first three games.
Against Manchester City though, familiar problems cropped up as Dortmund lost 4-1 at the Etihad. A 4-0 drubbing of Villarreal in the next was the perfect response, but a spirited Bodo/Glimt side held them in a 2-2 draw.
Things were still looking good as Dortmund were in contention to reach the last-16 directly, but a pair of 2-0 defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan condemned them to knockout playoffs as the side once again hit mental roadblock against the big sides.
The Knockout Playoffs
Dortmund were drawn against Atalanta in the playoffs and having beaten them in Europa League before, were confident of their chances here too.
A 2-0 win at home meant the BVB were on their way to the last-16, but for one more damning time, they lost it all due to defensive lapses.
La Dea raced to a 3-0 lead in Bergamo. Karim Adeyemi gave them hope by pulling one back, but Lazar Samardzic struck a stoppage-time penalty to sent the Italian side through.
Conclusion
By all means, it was a poor season for Dortmund. Sure, their attacking might was there for all to see earlier on, but their struggles in the big games as well as the propsensity to relinquish leads, exposed some deep shortcomings that Kovac will have to address next season if they were to make another deep run in the competition.
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