Dortmund have flown under the radar to reach Champions League final, says Terzic

Borussia Dortmund have benefited from going under the radar during their “unbelievable road” to the Champions League final, according to head coach Edin Terzic.

The Black and Yellow will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the showpiece on June 1, following a hard-earned 2-0 aggregate win over Paris Saint-Germain in the last four.

Dortmund came into this season on the back of a bitter Bundesliga title loss on the final matchday of the previous campaign, with a 2-2 draw against Mainz handing the title to Bayern on goal difference.

While Terzic’s side have been unable to launch a genuine challenge on the domestic front this term – currently occupying fifth place and 24 points adrift of newly crowned champions Bayer Leverkusen – it has been a different story in Europe.

“There is always a team that no one has on their radar that reaches the quarter-finals or the semi-finals,” he said. “We wanted to be the team that were not necessarily on anyone’s radar. That road has been unbelievable.”

11 YEARS IN THE MAKING HEJA BVB WE OUT TO WEMBLEY AHHHHHHHHHHHH pic.twitter.com/LRAZsr0M3u

— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) May 7, 2024

Indeed, it has. Dortmund began their campaign with a 2-0 defeat at PSG and goalless draw at home to Milan, but recovered to top Group F before seeing off PSV and Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively.

The 1997 Champions League winners then produced a defensive masterclass across both legs of their semi-final with PSG, to reach their first final since 2013.

“After the second matchday, almost no one believed in us any more,” said captain Emre Can, who made his 50th Champions League appearance during the second leg at Parc des Princes.

“We only had one point after two matches, but we kept believing and that was the most important thing. Keeping two clean sheets in two matches against PSG is no mean feat.”