Named the Cathedral of Football by Pelé himself, Wembley will serve as the stage to see who is the new monarch of Europe. Will the legend of Real Madrid continue to grow? Will Borussia Dortmund be able to raise its profile?
On Saturday, June 1 at 3:00 p.m. (Eastern time in the United States) the initial whistle will be heard to find out who will conquer the old continent.
Real Madrid, once again with gallantry and with its DNA of going to the end – but not without controversy – seeks to establish itself in its favorite tournament: The UEFA Champions League, after beating Bayern Munich 2-1 on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu .
“It has happened again, it is something inexplicable, it is the magic of this club, of a fan that pushes in a fantastic stadium and some players who do not stop believing that something magical can be done. When you put on this shirt you feel something special” , said Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach at a press conference.
And with two goals from Joselu, from the bench, Madrid have achieved the pass in just three minutes to seek to raise their 15th win in 18 finals of the continental tournament.
“You always dream about this. By being in the moment. The first goal is about being ready, about living the play. Those minutes they were too tired, they had put the block low,” said Joselu after giving the white club the ticket to Wembley. “You dream of having nights like that. My dreams are not as beautiful as today. As a striker, you dream of scoring goals and if they are like today’s, much better.”
Madrid, now a finalist in the Champions League, can now say that they had a positive season.
And the merengue club was in trouble throughout the harvest and it’s just that its star players are back, but not with the minutes to face this stage of the season. One in which they have already pocketed the Spanish League and can close it with another Champions League.
“The players have had a season that no one expected. I didn’t expect this squad to be able to do this either. Reaching the final is a success and then whatever happens happens,” Ancelotti added.
Madrid will go to its 18th final of Europe’s top club tournament, a record. It will be their ninth final in the Champions League era, another record.
Borussia must battle against a giant
“We are going to Wembley. It’s crazy,” said Marco Reus, the iconic Dortmund midfielder who days ago announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season. What he didn’t know was that they were going to face the biggest club in the history of the competition, Real Madrid.
This will be the third time in the history of the Champions League that Borussia Dortmund will compete in the Orejona. They have a 1-1 record, having emerged champion in 1997 after beating Juventus.
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AP Photo/Christophe Ena
The German club already knows what it’s like to play for the gold at Wembley, although it doesn’t have good memories. Well, in 2013, precisely in that scenario, they succumbed 2-1 to Bayern Munich, their Bundesliga rival and a team that did not reach the English stadium because of Real Madrid’s DNA.
“It seems a bit surreal,” said Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic, after his team qualified for the Champions League final by beating Paris SG 1-0 in both the first leg and the second leg. Now he must focus, know that it is reality and that in 20 days he could have all of Europe in his hands along with his 11 warriors.
This was the route of both finalists
Real Madrid: The Spanish club had no complications in the first phase, where it led group C with a perfect record of six wins and 18 points. In the round of 16, the meringues won the series 2-1 against RB Leipzig, while in the quarterfinals they eliminated Manchester City, the current champion, in a penalty shootout after tying the series 4-4. They then beat Bayern Munich 4-3 on aggregate to go to Wembley.
Borussia Dortmund: The German team in the first phase was first in group F, in which it achieved 11 points as a result of three wins and two draws. He suffered a setback. In the round of 16, the German club had no problems dominating the series 3-1 against PSV, while in the quarterfinals they left Atlético de Madrid on the road with a 5-4 aggregate score. In the semifinals their victim was PSG (2-0) to now face Real Madrid
Championships won
Borussia Dortmund: 1997
Real Madrid 14: 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022
