Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic hailed his team's “incredible route” to the Uefa Champions League final after Tuesday's victory over Paris Saint-Germain denied Kylian Mbappe the opportunity to play his last game for the French giants at Wembley.
Holding a 1-0 lead after the first leg in Germany, Dortmund beat PSG against the run of play at Parc des Princes thanks to Mats Hummels' header five minutes into the second half.
Dortmund, who sit fifth in the Bundesliga, were not expected to go so far and will be underdogs in the June 1 showpiece regardless of whether they face old rivals Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, who meet on Wednesday.
It will be their first final since 2013 when, remarkably, the match was also played at Wembley, and Jurgen Klopp's Dortmund lost to Bayern.
Hummels played in that final and, 11 years later, he was the hero as Dortmund built on the advantage given to them by Niclas Fullkrug's goal in the first leg.
Drawn in a group with PSG, 2023 semi-finalists AC Milan and English side Newcastle United, Dortmund were tipped by most not to even make it out of the group.
Despite being dominated in a 2-0 loss at the Parc des Princes by PSG in their first group stage match in September, Dortmund recovered to top the group.
Wins over PSV Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid then followed in the knockout stages to set up a rematch with PSG in the semi-finals.
“The belief in the final was already there early on,” Terzic said. “We spoke about it for the first time before the first leg in Eindhoven. The faces looked a bit baffled when I said that the route to London is short. It will still take a little while before it sinks in for us, but the joy is already extremely great.
“We've grown with every match. At some point, we beat Milan, who were in the semi-final last year. And when you eliminate a semi-finalist, then it can work for us too.
“We wanted to be the team that people don't necessarily have on their radar. The route has been incredible. We knew that games like today are frequently opened up or decided by set pieces. Mats took it outstandingly well.”
Alongside centre-back partner Nico Schlotterbeck, the 34-year-old Hummels stood tall, helping Dortmund keep PSG's array of attacking talent, including their standout forward Mbappe, at bay across both ties.
He added a goal of his own in the second leg and was named player of the match in both games.
The 2014 World Cup winner, who left Dortmund for Bayern in 2016 wanting to win the Champions League before returning in 2019, is now one match away from one of the few trophies he is yet to claim across a glittering career.
“Since the second game in the group stage, we've believed that we can compete in the Champions League,” Hummels said. “We've now proven that so often. There is no reason whatsoever for us not to believe that we can win the final too.”
Mbappe's PSG Champions League dream over
While Dortmund turn their focus to the final, it was a case of another opportunity missed for PSG, and for their star man Mbappe, the chance to end his stint in the French capital with European glory.
The 2018 World Cup winner will leave PSG after seven years when his contract expires at the end of this season, with Real Madrid his likely next destination.
He had hoped to sign off by leading the club to the Champions League title for the first time in their history, but despite dominating the second leg, PSG couldn't find the goals to send them to Wembley.
Mbappe was one of four PSG players to hit the woodwork in the second half, and manager Luis Enrique complained his side, who had 31 attempts on goal, had been “unlucky”.
“I don't really like to talk about bad luck,” Mbappe said. “When you are good, you don't hit the post, you score. I tried to help the best I could. When I say we needed to be more clinical, I am the one who has to be scoring. But this is life, we need to pick ourselves up.”
It will be hard for PSG to do that, given how close they were to reaching the final for the second time, four years on from their defeat against Bayern Munich in Lisbon.
That will forever remain as close as Mbappe came to lifting the European Cup with his hometown team, for whom he is their all-time top scorer with 255 goals.
A total of 42 of those have come in Europe's elite club competition, but he could not add to that tally across the two legs against Dortmund.
Why the Tourist Club?
Originally, The Club (which many people chose to call the “British Club”) was the only place where one could use the beach with changing rooms and a shower, and get refreshments.
In the early 1970s, the Government of Abu Dhabi wanted to give more people a place to get together on the beach, with some facilities for children. The place chosen was where the annual boat race was held, which Sheikh Zayed always attended and which brought crowds of locals and expatriates to the stretch of beach to the left of Le Méridien and the Marina.
It started with a round two-storey building, erected in about two weeks by Orient Contracting for Sheikh Zayed to use at one these races. Soon many facilities were planned and built, and members were invited to join.
Why it was called “Nadi Al Siyahi” is beyond me. But it is likely that one wanted to convey the idea that this was open to all comers. Because there was no danger of encountering alcohol on the premises, unlike at The Club, it was a place in particular for the many Arab expatriate civil servants to join. Initially the fees were very low and membership was offered free to many people, too.
Eventually there was a skating rink, bowling and many other amusements.
Frauke Heard-Bey is a historian and has lived in Abu Dhabi since 1968.
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
