Jurgen Klopp endured a near miss in the 2013 Champions League final
Jurgen Klopp was Borussia Dortmund’s manager the last time they were in the Champions League final, and he was left to lament a terrible call by the referee that prevented them from winning.
Following Borussia Dortmund’s defeat in the Champions League final in 2013, Jurgen Klopp questioned whether the team had made the “worst decision in history”.
The Bundesliga team flourished, making it to an all-German final, which Bayern Munich eventually won at Wembley to complete an iconic treble. Eleven years ago, the Bavarians defeated Dortmund in Europe as well as on home turf.
Mario Mandzukic’s opening goal was cancelled out in the second half when Ilkay Gundogan equalized from the spot. Arjen Robben then scored a late winner.
However, many felt that Dortmund’s penalty cost their opponents more than just a goal. Dante of Bayern tried to shut down Marco Reus, who is leaving Dortmund at the end of the season, but made a huge mistake in doing so.
Reus was first to the ball and, after pushing it forward, Dante struck the Dortmund player’s midsection with a high foot, sending him sprawling to the ground in agony. The Bayern player was the final defender standing and was already on a yellow card, but the referee declined to show a red card.
Commentating on the match, Gary Neville said that Dortmund had “bottled it” when reduced to 11 players, which proved to be a crucial factor in the closing minutes as Bayern marched forward to score the game-winning goal.
Following the game, Klopp stated, “I was certain you could give a second yellow card, but when I saw it on TV, I felt you had to.” There have been worse refereeing calls made in football history. When it’s eleven versus ten, who wins? I’m not sure.
Dante scythed down Marco Reus – but escaped any card
Graham Poll, a former Premier League official, stated: “Borussia Dortmund may have lost the Champions League final due to subpar officiating.” With the German team, Klopp would never again achieve such success before departing two years later.
Dortmund, who had discovered talents such as Robert Lewandowski, had made history with the captivating manager when they made an incredible run to the championship game. In the semifinals, they defeated Real Madrid 4-1, with Lewandowski scoring four goals.
“We will come back, maybe not to Wembley, but we will try to come back to another final,” declared the defiant Dortmund manager. The team gave it their all and played a fantastic game. They genuinely deserved to tie the score. I experience pride rising within me and sadness subsiding. My team had a fantastic season, and that match against Bayern in the Champions League was possibly the best of the year.”
Klopp was aware that his team would probably be raided. Mario Gotze, at the time one of Europe’s most exciting players, was set to join their bitter rivals Bayern even before the final. Lewandowski would follow suit a year later.
Jokingly, the German said he would be in the market looking for new members. “Now we have to go on holiday, buy some players because others clubs want our players,” he said with a laugh. “I hope to go on vacation after next week, but I have a lot of work to do to start a new team. I wouldn’t worry about it, I think we’ll assemble a pretty good team.”
Following his departure from Dortmund and arrival at Liverpool, Klopp would be involved in three more Champions League finals. In 2018 and 2022, Real Madrid turned him down, but in 2019, the German managed to win the trophy he had long coveted by leading the Reds to a Madrid victory over Tottenham.
In the meantime, Dortmund makes their Champions League final appearance for the first time since that 2013 defeat. Their lone European Cup triumph occurred in 1997.
