Mats Hummels sees no reason why Borussia Dortmund cannot go on and win the Champions League after their hard-fought semi-final victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
The Black and Yellows are in the final of Europe’s premier club competition for only the third time after a 2-0 victory over the reigning Ligue 1 champions, who scored six goals in both legs.
After Niclas Fullkrug decided the first leg at Signal Iduna Park last week, Hummels’ second-half header made the difference in the second leg at Parc des Princes, where Edin Terzic’s side delivered another defensive masterstroke and for the sixth time without Goals conceded in this season’s competition remained.
Dortmund, who lifted the trophy 27 years ago, face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the final at Wembley on June 1 and Hummels is confident he and his teammates can do it.
“I have scored far too few Champions League goals in my career, only five,” he told DAZN via Uefa.com. “Now is a good time to increase that number.
“Since the second game of the group stage we believed we could win every game – and I don’t see why we shouldn’t win at Wembley now.
“We stayed active today and were able to get a lot of speed from the game and the atmosphere from the stadium. That was our recipe for success today.”
W…and breathe. pic.twitter.com/vY9Xeoejn1
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) May 7, 2024
Hummels, along with Marco Reus, was part of the Dortmund team that was beaten 2-1 by Bayern in the last Champions League final in 2013.
The veteran midfielder announced last week that he would be leaving the club at the end of this season and is excited to make another attempt at lifting the biggest trophy in European club football.
“[It is] “Indescribable,” he told DAZN. “After more than 10 years, I’m back in the final with Borussia. Ousmane [Dembele] and Achraf [Hakimi] It brought a lot of speed and we suffered a lot.
“Nobody will ask tomorrow how we won the game. Shots against the post won’t matter tomorrow. What is crucial is that Borussia Dortmund is in the final again. Nobody expected that. It’s just incredible.”
Meanwhile, Terzic, who saw his side lose the Bundesliga title on the final day of last season, praised the progress his players have made over the course of the competition.
“Before the first game against PSV [in the round of 16]“We talked for the first time about how short the trip to London might be,” he said. “At that time, many people were still at a loss. Last season we lost the championship at home on the last matchday.
“I’m happy that we can now give something back to the fans. We grew with every game and at some point we realized that we could be the team that surprises everyone in the end. Now I’m very happy to be in the final with my team.”