How underdogs Borussia Dortmund reached the Champions League final while finishing fifth in Bundesliga

Happy Memorial Day! After several teams won new titles over the weekend, the European season is winding down and all eyes are quickly turning to the final – Saturday’s Champions League final at Wembley Stadium. I’m Pardeep Cattry to start off a big week with a look at the latest.

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Monday, May 27th
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Happy last week of the Champions League

Final preparations are officially underway for Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final, which will see Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid take to the pitch at London’s Wembley Stadium to be crowned champions of Europe. This is the eighth time Wembley has hosted the event, but it’s not only familiar territory for the Champions League trophy – it was also the site of Dortmund’s last appearance in the final in 2013, when they lost 2-1 to Bayern de Munich. .

They were the underdogs 11 years ago and will be so again on Saturday, but the differences between the two finalists look much wider this time. Bayern may have won the Bundesliga that year, but they had to beat Dortmund, then managed by Jurgen Klopp, on a two-year title streak to do so. This season, Dortmund finished fifth in the Bundesliga and face a Real Madrid team that claimed victory in La Liga and overcame almost every team that stood in their way in Europe.

However, Dortmund are searching for a redemption arc after their latest disappointment at Wembley, and have spent the entire Champions League season arguing they have what it takes. Topping a group with Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle United was the first sign of his true value, while the ability to come back from a first-leg deficit in the quarter-final victory over Atlético Madrid and his tactical superiority in the semi-finals over PSG they solidified. this. Dortmund have quietly demonstrated an impressive ability to compete at Europe’s highest levels this summer and will travel to London with a handful of players ready to do damage.

The team’s attack has been its strong point on this run to the final, almost resembling Real Madrid’s ability to overcome its defensive deficiencies by outscoring its opponents. Marcel Sabitzer was instrumental with five assists, leading the Champions League in that category, while Julian Brandt is in the top five for chances created with 24, whilst also registering 11 assists in the Bundesliga this season. The signing of Jadon Sancho, who was on loan from Manchester United in the winter, also helped greatly – he completed 12 appearances in Dortmund’s 1-0 victory over PSG in the semi-final first leg, becoming the first Englishman to do so in a Champions League match.

This is good news against a Real Madrid side who are averaging 1.22 goals per game in the Champions League this season, but the German side will need to be at their best to take advantage of their opponents’ somewhat porous defense. Dortmund are mid-table for goals per game (1.42), expected goals per game (1.27) and shots per game (13.17) in the Champions League this season, but as their unlikely run proves, they are not there is reason to exclude them yet.

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Barcelona win consecutive UWCL titles

As the countdown to the men’s final continues, Barcelona won their second UEFA Women’s Champions League final on Saturday in Bilbao, defeating Lyon 2-0 in a game that looks set to be a turning point for women’s football in the Europe.

Barcelona defeated Lyon, but both teams had their chances, each with 14 shots over the 90 minutes. However, the back-to-back champions proved to be more clinical, hitting five shots on target to Lyon’s two and ultimately scoring the game’s only goals. Aitana Bonmati boosted her credentials as the world’s best player by scoring the opener in the 63rd minute, while Alexia Putellas sealed the deal five minutes into stoppage time, a fine reward after a struggling season following knee surgery in December.

The Champions League victory allowed Barcelona to complete the quadruple after winning the domestic league, cup and Super Cup and also served as a fitting farewell for coach Jonatan Giraldez, who will now head to the NWSL to join third-placed Washington Spirit. The final also marked the first time that Barcelona had beaten Lyon, who were the gold standard of women’s football in Europe with eight Champions League titles. Lucy Bronze, who played a part in Barcelona’s back-to-back triumphs and won three other Champions League titles with Lyon, was undoubtedly the perfect person to reflect on. the changing of the tide.

• Bronze: “We knew we needed to be a club that made history. It’s not easy, it’s difficult to win once, but to win consecutively, Lyon showed how difficult it is. as one of the best teams in Europe.”

While Barcelona’s squad includes top-flight talent from outside Spain such as Bronze and Keira Walsh of England and Caroline Graham Hansen of Norway, the core of the group is made up of local talents who have quickly risen to the top of the women’s game. Bonmati and Putellas were part of the Spanish team that won last year’s Women’s World Cup and are undoubtedly the gold medal favorites at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. Spain and Barcelona’s reign of dominance goes hand in hand and shows no signs of slowing down.

Top stories

United wins the FA Cup: Manchester United’s youth led the FA Cup victory over Manchester City, providing the hint of a silver lining in a turbulent season. Questions remain over Erik ten Hag’s future following the news the day before the final that United had already decided to sack him.

City season summary: Manchester City may have won a fourth successive Premier League title this season, but after winning just one trophy this season, it’s worth asking: was their season really a success?

Leverkusen does double: Bayer Leverkusen beat Kaiserslautern 1-0 in the DFB Pokal final, going undefeated in their national season to win the double. Granit Xhaka scored the only goal of the game, ending a season in which he exceeded expectations.

Southampton promoted: Southampton beat Leeds United 1-0 in the Championship promotion playoff final on Sunday, returning to the Premier League after a season in the second division.

Mbappé’s future: After winning the French Cup with Paris Saint-Germain, Kylian MBappe said he will announce his new clubs “in a few days”.

Rome is left out: Roma lost 2-1 to Empoli on the final day of the Serie A season, missing out on a place in next season’s Champions League in the process.

Real Madrid’s riches: Real Madrid came first on Forbes’ list of the world’s most valuable football clubs, overtaking Manchester United for the honour.

USMNT players in Italy: Here’s a look back at several USMNT players’ performances in Serie A this season, which was full of success for Christian Pulisic and less than ideal for Yunus Musah.

The back row

Best bets

• UEFA Champions League Final: Borussia Dortmund x Real Madrid, Saturday, 3pm
  THE PICK: Sebastien Haller will score (+300) — A feature of Dortmund’s attack this season is that goal-scoring responsibilities have been divided among the group, with no one scoring more than three goals so far in the Champions League season. That doesn’t mean a number of players haven’t achieved results at important moments, and that includes Sebastien Haller, whose only goal in Europe this season so far came in Dortmund’s 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the quarterfinals. Final. It was the basis for the 4-2 comeback at home in the second leg and means he goes into the final with the best odds of any Dortmund player to score at Wembley.

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