09 Black & Yellow moments in 2025 – part two | OneFootball

Precision landing on the last matchday of the 24/25 seasonAfter Matchday 32, Freiburg in fourth place are only one point behind BVB, with Frankfurt five points behind in third. In their last away game of the season against double winners Leverkusen, Dortmund get off to a weak start and can initially thank Gregor Kobel for ensuring that the deficit is not greater. Then Julian Brandt took advantage of the first real opportunity to quickly equalise, and Julian Ryerson turned the game around before half-time. After the break, BVB looked much more stable, kept the game open and finally pulled the plug on Werkself with a double strike from Adeyemi and Guirassy. The 4-2 result also means that Borussia are back in control of their own destiny in the race for Champions League qualification ahead of the final matchday. Adeyemi describes the decisive momentum as follows: “The coach kicked our backsides. We have to run – no matter who we’re playing. Then our quality will make it difficult for any opponent.”

After the final 3-0 victory against Holstein Kiel, Lars Ricken speaks of “one of the greatest coaching achievements in BVB history”. Kovac himself remains modest and points to the team, staff and fans who worked together to achieve this success. Hans-Joachim Watzke emphasises Kovac’s pragmatic approach: running, tackling, attacking – and success will follow. Captain Emre Can praises the many small details that the coach has paid attention to. With Niko Kovac, BVB join Bayern as the only club to return to the Champions League for the tenth time in a row. A real precision landing.

Club World Cup: the Black & Yellows among the world’s top eightBVB is one of 32 clubs taking part in the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup in the USA. The Black & Yellows’ base camp is in Fort Lauderdale, and they are training at Inter Miami – on the pitch where Lionel Messi determines the length of the grass. Their opening opponents Fluminense, the time difference and an extremely short pitch cause BVB major problems in the sweltering heat of New Jersey, but BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel keeps a clean sheet and the team secure a point in a 0-0 draw. Against Mamelodi Sundowns, BVB took a clear 4-1 lead, but allowed the South Africans to come back to 4-3. In the final group match against Ulsan HD, Daniel Svensson scored the decisive goal for the group victory with one of his many finishes. Against Mexican club Monterrey, it’s a close call for group winners BVB in the round of 16, but Borussia ultimately secure a 2-1 victory, with Serhou Guirassy scoring twice after assists from Karim Adeyemi. BVB are now among the best eight teams in the world.

Real Madrid await in the quarter-finals. A long, disappointing game ends dramatically: in nine minutes of added time, Dortmund fight back to 2-1 and 3-2, shaking the favourites, but Thibaut Courtois prevents Sabitzer from equalising with a brilliant save. “We have represented BVB, the city of Dortmund and the Bundesliga with dignity,.” says managing director Lars Ricken. Head coach Niko Kovac sums it up: “The round of 16 was a must, the quarter-finals a bonus..”

BVB women give a good account of themselves in first clash with Bayern15,755 spectators provided the largest crowd at the Rote Erde stadium in 52 years: in the first round of the DFB Pokal, third-tier newcomers Borussia Dortmund welcomed double winners Bayern Munich. Although the towering favourites dominated the game from the start, the BVB defence held their own thanks to goalkeeper Laura van der Laan. In the end, Bayern's Pernille Harder decides the game in favour of the double winners with her brace (27th/33rd). Nevertheless, it is a respectable achievement for the BVB women. ‘It feels absolutely fantastic and very unique. I am totally satisfied because it was a really beautiful, historic evening of football,’ says department head Svenja Schlenker.