Ten years ago, Dortmund turned around the Champions League quarterfinal in injury time. BVB goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller looks back.

Soccer matches can have such an impact that just one word is enough to make your thoughts tingle once again. The goals are scored once again in front of the inner eye. Snippets of scenes pop up.

Roman Weidenfeller doesn’t need many words to aptly describe his memories of April 9, 2013. “The game against Malaga was pure emotion,” the Borussia Dortmund goalkeeping legend tells this editorial team ten years later.

BVB needed two more goals that evening to knock out the team from Andalusia in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Many fans had left the Dortmund stadium early because they could no longer believe in the miracle that was to follow after the Spaniards scored 2:1 in the 82nd minute. The first leg ended 0-0, and because the away goals rule still applied, two goals were needed.

The 69 seconds for eternity began with a long ball from Mats Hummels. “Hummels, all under it, Subotic, Santana. He doesn’t make it, but Reus does. Goal, equalizer, let’s go, Borussia!”

Kai Dittmann bellowed these words into the microphone in April 2013. The Sky commentator abandoned his neutrality for a moment during Marco Reus’ equalizer in the first minute of stoppage time. “I have a completely clear conscience there: German team, German broadcaster, one goal was still missing – I’ll take anyone who grumbles about that,” Dittmann tells this newsroom.

It was clear to him that the equalizer should not be the end. “I try to be guided more by the reaction of the players and coaches than by my own feeling,” he says. “Do they look like they can make up for it? Jürgen Klopp didn’t do a lap of honor, he was totally focused right back. It was clear to me then: they’re going for the third goal – that’s where ‘Auf geht’s’ came from.”

The clock was ticking, and it was against BVB, who, however, refused to be deterred. “We had our big goal in mind the whole time and even after falling behind we believed in ourselves and kept playing the balls into the center,” Weidenfeller recalled. “On top of that, we had our fantastic fans behind us.” Then Malaga happened.

“A minute and a half went by. Free kick Dortmund. Sahin, Santana. Double header. Schieber…. Schmelzer. Lewandowski, Schieber. Now Reus, Schieber, Santana, goal, goal for Dortmund. Toooor. Dortmund tilts the game and is in the semifinals.”

Dortmund mentality monster

But it smelled of offside, Felipe Santana’s goal for the 3:2 final score in the second minute of stoppage time. The fact that there was no video evidence yet was BVB’s luck – although, after all, Malaga’s lead through Eliseu was also irregular. “We still had to accommodate that in our commentary,” Dittmann emphasized.

“Yes, offside there too, it balances out. And again, it’s the same story. I think the referees were offside twice in these scenes. That’s where the injustice evens out. So be it.”

Dortmund was now defending rather than running. Jürgen Klopp’s notorious mental monsters.

“Subotic, Santana and Sahin, whose substitution paid off. This is Borussia Dortmund, not there for a long time. They wanted, but couldn’t and suddenly with will, with power, with poking, with luck – but it doesn’t matter. “

Everyone saw what kind of spirit was in the team. The atmosphere in the stadium was outstanding.

Roman Weidenfeller

Malaga’s final effort straddled Marcel Schmelzer on the left. Craig Thompson of Scotland blew his whistle seconds later. “It’s over, over, over. In an unbelievable game, Jürgen Klopp wins 3-2 with Borussia Dortmund after trailing 1:2. Congratulations, congratulations, madness. That’s incredible. Unbelievable morale ensures that Borussia Dortmund still makes the impossible possible.”

“Everyone saw what kind of spirit was in the team. The atmosphere in the stadium was outstanding. In the end, of course, we also had the necessary bit of luck in this game,” admits Roman Weidenfeller. The 42-year-old thinks back with pride to the 2012/13 Champions League season, which was “a gigantic journey” – even if it wasn’t enough for the big triumph after the 2-1 final defeat to Bayern Munich. But there were special moments before that against Real Madrid (4:1, 0:2) in the semifinals. “I’ll never forget,” says the 2014 world champion, “how the royals trembled in front of us in their own stadium. “