Vs Hertha Berlin - Part 2
While Jurgen Klopp and the coaching staff racked their brains trying to shake off the injury crisis, time flew by relentlessly.
Dortmund headed to the Olympiastadion Berlin, Hertha Berlin's home ground.
The Dortmund players' eyes widened at the sight of the massive stadium that could hold about 75,000 fans.
Just as Wembley Stadium is the heart of English soccer, the Olympiastadion Berlin symbolized the heart of German soccer as Hertha Berlin's fortress—and it hosted the DFB-Pokal final every year.
The bus carrying the Dortmund players pulled into the stadium.
Right before kickoff, Jurgen Klopp gathered the team in the locker room for a pep talk.
"Hertha Berlin is the only team that beat us at Signal Iduna Park this season."
The players' expressions shifted in an instant at Jurgen Klopp's words. Sensing their burning desire for victory, he let his passion pour out.
"This time, we've come to their turf! Go tear Hertha Berlin apart and show them the might of the German champions! Heja!"
"BVB!"
As soon as Jurgen Klopp finished, the Dortmund players erupted in a roar. Before long, the match kicked off.
Currently languishing in the relegation zone, Hertha Berlin sat deep in a defensive 10-back formation, desperate even for a draw against Dortmund.
They were just two points behind 13th place in the league table.
Hertha Berlin gritted their teeth and defended fiercely, blocking shots with their faces if they had to, guarding their goal with everything they had.
"Argh—!" "That's not me, Perisic." "Lewandowski!" "...Don't change positions."
In that tense atmosphere, we had a few chances but couldn't convert them into goals.
"Damn it! Block the shot with your body!"
Instead, right before halftime, Hertha Berlin's counterattack created a dangerous moment.
Thwack—!
"Get your heads in the game, you bastards!"
Fortunately, Roman Weidenfeller's save kept us from conceding, but Dortmund shrank back from Hertha's sharp counter, and halftime ended without further incident.
"I trust you guys, so I won't say a word. Just fight with everything you've got."
...Click?
Without any special instructions or locker room speech from Jurgen Klopp, halftime ended, and the second half began.
"HA HO HE Hertha BSC!"
"Ale Ale Ale oh BVB!"
In the 31st minute of the second half, as Hertha Berlin and Dortmund traded fierce blows, the moment to seize victory arrived.
Sebastian Kehl intercepted Hertha Berlin's counterattack, snatching the ball just as Marcel Schmelzer overlapped forward.
Instead of a direct pass, it'd be better to go through one more player?
Schmelzer was a hardworking player who contributed on both ends with his high work rate, but with his stamina waning, a straight pass into space ahead of him would likely get blocked by a defender soon enough.
"Kehl!"
Finishing my thought, I called out to Sebastian Kehl and moved to receive the ball—drawing the eyes of Hertha's defenders.
If Sebastian Kehl had seen Schmelzer's overlap, he might've chosen differently, but luckily, with his back turned, he passed it straight to me.
I one-touched it into space ahead of Marcel Schmelzer, then sprinted forward.
Schmelzer wasn't the fastest or the best dribbler, but his pinpoint crosses were lethal, so Hertha's defense swarmed him quickly.
Cracks began to form in Hertha Berlin's backline.
Robert Lewandowski charged into the penalty box, pulling defenders with him.
I darted into the space he created, and in that instant, my eyes met Schmelzer's. Confirming me, he slowly swung his leg.
Instinct? I cut inside toward the box and met the perfectly flighted cross with my forehead.
The ball, redirected toward the near post, evaded the Hertha keeper's hands and rippled the net.
"Hooooooow—!"
I sprinted straight to the away end where the Dortmund fans were, unleashing my celebration.
"Hoo—! Hoo—! Even Munich fears him! Soon the whole world will know his name! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hooooow!"
The Dortmund away fans responded to my celebration with their chant.
...Ronaldo's celebration with a Holger song? Feels like a weird mashup.
After Son Jinho's goal, Hertha Berlin abandoned their deep block to chase an equalizer, and Dortmund feasted on the opened spaces.
Kevin Grosskreutz latched onto Son Jinho's pass and added another goal, sealing a 2-0 victory.
Dortmund Secures 2-0 Away Win Over Hertha Berlin.
Mario Gotze and Kagawa Shinji's Injury Void Filled by Son Jinho: 1 Goal, 1 Assist Earns Him Man of the Match!
Jurgen Klopp Addresses Squad Injuries: 'Tough Times Ahead, But I Believe My Players Will Unite and Overcome.'
Kagawa Shinji Returns from Injury and Starts at Home Against Hannover 96.
League Round 23.
Dortmund vs. Hannover.
Kagawa Shinji, back on the pitch just 10 days later thanks to his quick recovery, put on a stellar show.
I nodded as I watched him tear through Hannover's defense from the front line.
You really feel his impact when he's there.
At this form, he's WK material for the second half of the season.
With Hannover's markers splitting to contain the rampaging Kagawa, the pressure on me eased, making the game flow much smoother.
The ball, cleared by a Hannover defender, fell to Robert Lewandowski and then to me.
Before their defense could reset, I slipped a pass into the half-space ahead of the infiltrating Kagawa.
Kagawa calmly slotted it home.
With Kagawa back, Dortmund kicked off a rampage: a 5-0 home thrashing of Hannover 96, followed by 2-0 and 1-0 wins over Klopp's old club Mainz and Augsburg—where loanee Koo Ja-cheol and Cha Dong-won played.
And just like that, the Champions League Round of 16 second leg arrived.
Borussia Dortmund headed to Basel in Switzerland.
There were no upsets in Dortmund vs. Basel.
Full Time) Dortmund Advances to Quarterfinals with 8-0 Aggregate Score.
An 8-goal margin was massive—and Arsenal suffered the same fate.
Arsenal Out of Round of 16 with 8-2 Aggregate.
With no shocks in the Champions League, it seemed the tournament would proceed smoothly.
But Chelsea's match the next day was different.
Chelsea, down 3-1 to Napoli, fought to extra time and flipped the script with a 5-4 aggregate win to reach the quarters.
The Chelsea Dunk curtain was rising.
With Napoli vs. Chelsea done, all Champions League quarterfinalists were set.
March 16, 2012—Quarterfinal draw day.
The Dortmund players gathered at the club house again for the draw.
"Please! Apoeeeel—!" "Whoa, Apoel beat Moscow."
Having breezed past weak FC Basel, Dortmund coveted Apoel—the weakest quarterfinalist.
People always want the easy path, even if it's the villain's road.
But justice lived on.
FC Barcelona.
A massive trial descended on the honey-sucking Dortmund.
The moment their quarterfinal opponent was revealed as the world's strongest team, FC Barcelona...
"Holy shit."
"Mother Fucker."
"Mutter ficker."
Regardless of nationality, everyone cheering for Dortmund cried out as one.