Borussia Dortmund was eliminated from the Champions League on Wednesday evening. Despite a strong Bundesliga season, it was a defeat.
The starting position could hardly have been better: After the 2-0 first leg win over Atalanta Bergamo, Borussia Dortmund already seemed to have one foot in the round of 16 of the Champions League. In Italy, despite the lead, the BVB professionals did not compete with a big chest, but rather like an insecure youth team that was overwhelmed by the floodlights and the anthem of the premier class.
“We have to step on the gas and fight together,” Niko Kovač appealed to his team before the game. Sports director Lars Ricken had also warned urgently: “If anyone believes that we are in a comfortable situation, it can quickly lead to a rude awakening. That’s why we must not fall into passivity, but must actively play forward.”
The Dortmund professionals obviously didn’t listen carefully, because only the Atalanta Bergamo team was active for a good hour. The necessary tension for such an important game was not present at BVB, conceding three goals against the Italians, who were bursting with energy, was the logical consequence.
What is particularly bitter from Borussia’s point of view is that the warnings from Kovač and Ricken in advance were not empty phrases. Nothing that was simply intended to artificially create tension. Nothing that could only be read as respectful treatment of the opponent. Because as good as BVB is doing this season, especially in the Bundesliga, Dortmund repeatedly show negligence when they lead in too many games.
In the Bundesliga, Borussia has already lost ten points after taking the lead. BVB recently won against basement children like Wolfsburg, Heidenheim and St. Pauli, but almost blew it too. The lead was lost in all three games. Despite all the progress that the team has made under Kovač, especially in terms of fitness and unity, they too often lack the ability to take control of the game for good. Be it with extensive periods of possession or an insurmountable defense.
This certainly doesn’t apply in duels with top opponents, as this is when Dortmund’s problems become apparent often and particularly clearly. In the Bundesliga, BVB lost against Bayern, in the DFB Cup against Bayer Leverkusen and in the Champions League against Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan. It was no surprise that Atalanta Bergamo, the 2024 Europa League winner and yet a notoriously under-the-radar top club, continued this list. Rather, the debacle that Dortmund experienced in the Champions League on Wednesday evening was one that made a statement.
