Football Borussia Dortmund
Hummels signals farewell and wants to listen to his son
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It is not a given to be in a semi-final, says Hummels
What: REUTERS
Reaching the final of the Champions League would be the fulfillment of a big dream for Mats Hummels – and the final could also be his last game for BVB. Before the semi-final second leg in Paris, the 35-year-old veteran left his future open.
Edin Terzic’s final sentences were an emotional declaration of war. It is true that BVB did not show a good performance in the first group game at Paris St. Germain. There was a deserved 2-0 defeat. But the coach said that his team had already improved in the second leg, when Dortmund had wrested a 1-1 draw from the French star ensemble. Not to mention the first leg of the semi-final a week ago, which Dortmund won 1-0 – thanks to an enormous amount of effort and an outstanding running performance.
“And if we have to, we’ll run another 20 kilometers on Tuesday and do it even better. We want to earn the final,” said Terzic. Mats Hummels, who was sitting next to the coach on the podium in the press room of the Prinzenparkstadion in Paris the day before the semi-final second leg at PSG (Tuesday, 9 p.m./live on Amazon Prime), knocked on the table. Then the defense chief and the coach stood up. The press conference was over.
Defend Mbappé? “We can only do this together”
BVB, which started the Champions League season as outsiders, gives a united and determined impression before the important game. This especially applies to Hummels and Terzic. They are very different. Hummels (35) tends to be ironic and occasionally sarcasm – Terzic is an emotional person with a certain penchant for pathos. When it came to tactical direction, the two didn’t always agree.
Mats Hummels and Edin Terzic answer questions from journalists
What: REUTERS
But they have one big goal in common: the dream of reaching the final at Wembley. For Hummels it would be the second in his career, which is gradually coming to an end. In 2013 he was in the final – also in London. He lost it with BVB against Bayern 1:2. Dortmund had previously eliminated Real Madrid in the semi-finals. “Back then I still thought there would be a bunch of them coming. Now it’s my third semi-final,” explained. As he also told his teammates, it was “not a given to play in a semi-final”.
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It can only be successful if BVB approaches the second leg with similar discipline as the first leg last Wednesday. This is especially true with regard to defensive maintenance. The three fast and technically adept Parisian attackers Kylian Mbappé, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé can only be defended as a group.
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Mbappé in particular, the French superstar who, together with Bayern striker Harry, is at the top of the current top scorers list in the premier class with eight goals, can only be neutralized in a team. “You can only do this together. He has qualities that are not easy to defend alone. But there are other players around him too,” warned Hummels.
“You have a mission, but we have a huge dream”
There was agreement between the 2014 world champion and his coach: only if BVB improves again will they have a chance. Especially since Paris is also expected to be significantly stormier than in the first leg. However, there will also be pressure on the opponent. “The PSG project was built a few years ago to win the Champions League. They have a mission, but we have a huge dream and want to fulfill it,” explained Terzic. Hummels nodded his head.
For the defender, who is unlikely to be nominated for the national team at the European Championships, this could be his last chance at a major title. His contract expires at the end of the season. What he said in Paris sounded more like farewell. As for his future, “I want to decide very late,” he explained. He also wants to listen to signals from his body – “and whether it can be compatible with my son’s husband”. He will soon start school in Munich.