Borussia Dortmund could be on course for a thrilling end to the 2022/23 season as they aim to secure at least one major trophy in the coming weeks.
Edin Terzic’s side are tied on points with defending champions Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga title race, and they have the edge over Chelsea ahead of their Champions League Round of 16 second leg.
The German side have struggled to reach the quarterfinals in recent seasons, with only one last-eight spot since 2017 in Europe’s premier competition.
However, their impressive revival since the start of 2023 has reignited confidence of a potential charge all the way to the final in Istanbul.
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Have Borussia Dortmund won the Champions League?
Borussia Dortmund find themselves on a short list of clubs to have won the European Cup or Champions League, with their sole title coming when they defeated holders Juventus in the 1997 final.
Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side were ranked as outsiders to make an impact on the tournament after finishing second in Group B, behind Atletico Madrid.
However, a favourable quarterfinal draw saw them breeze past French side Auxerre before winning home and away against Manchester United in the semifinals.
Lars Ricken was the hero for Hitzfeld’s unfancied side as they set up a date with Marcello Lippi’s Juventus in the final in Munich.
Despite not boasting the same amount of household names as Juventus or United, Dortmund’s solid base of Matthias Sammer — who won the 1996 Ballon d’Or after leading Germany to Euro 96 glory — and Jurgen Kohler was balanced perfectly against the goal threat of Ricken and Karl-Heinz Riedle.
Two superb Riedle first-half goals put Dortmund in dreamland at the Olympiastadion, before a teenage Alessandro Del Piero came off the bench to drag Lippi’s charges back into the contest.
Goal 2️⃣
🇮🇹 Alessandro Del Piero | @delpieroale
Juventus vs. Borussia Dortmund, Olympistadion
Final28 May 1997
Vote above! pic.twitter.com/bnD66aKyWB
— GoalScorer Challenge ⚽️ (@GoalscorerC) November 27, 2021
However, his salvo was upstaged by Ricken, as Dortmund’s homegrown hero curled home a superb winner just 16 seconds after coming off the bench, which remains a Champions League final record for the fastest substitute goal.
Super sub ✅ Super goal ✅
⚽️ Lars Ricken #OTD in 1997 👌#UCL | @BVB pic.twitter.com/or4wdvS6rQ
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 28, 2020
Victory in Germany went down as the iconic moment in Dortmund’s modern history as they became just the third Bundesliga team, after Bayern Munich and Hamburg, to become champions of Europe.
Borussia Dortmund Champions League record
Dortmund competed in the second season of the European Cup, in 1956/57, with their strongest run in the competition coming in 1964 as they lost out to Inter Milan in the semifinals.
That was to be Dortmund’s final appearance in the tournament for over three decades, as they dropped down into the UEFA Cup, punctuated by a lone 1966 Cup Winners’ Cup victory over Liverpool.
The reformatting of the competition in 1992 — alongside the creation of the English Premier League — opened up more space for non-champions to play in the Champions League, and Dortmund seized their chance. They lost in the quarterfinals to Ajax in 1995/96 before their triumphant return to the competition the following season.
They lost out to Real Madrid in the semifinals of their title defence in 1998, before a second final appearance came in the Jurgen Klopp era in 2013, when they were beaten by arch rivals Bayern Munich at Wembley.
Arjen Robben’s greatest Bayern Munich moment
The winning goal in the 2013 Champions League final 🙌pic.twitter.com/axWDu4nt2D
— GOAL (@goal) July 4, 2019
Since losing out to Bayern, Dortmund have qualified for the Champions League in nine of out of 10 seasons, making them the second-most consistent Bundesliga qualifier.
| Season | Stage Reached | Eliminated by |
| 1956/57 | First Round | Man United |
| 1957/58 | Quarterfinals | AC Milan |
| 1964/64 | Semifinals | Inter Milan |
| 1995/96 | Quarterfinals | Ajax |
| 1996/97 | Winners | Beat Juventus |
| 1997/98 | Semifinals | Real Madrid |
| 1999/00 | Group Stage | Feyenoord, Rosenborg |
| 2001/02 | Group Stage | Boavista, Liverpool |
| 2002/03 | Second Group Stage | Real Madrid, AC Milan |
| 2003/04 | Third Round Qualifier | Club Brugge |
| 2011/2 | Group Stage | Arsenal, Marseille |
| 2012/13 | Runners up | Lost to Bayern Munich |
| 2013/14 | Quarterfinals | Real Madrid |
| 2014/15 | Round of 16 | Juventus |
| 2016/17 | Quarterfinals | AS Monaco |
| 2017/18 | Group Stage | Tottenham, Real Madrid |
| 2018/19 | Round of 16 | Tottenham |
| 2019/20 | Round of 16 | PSG |
| 2020/21 | Quarterfinals | Man City |
| 2021/22 | Group Stage | Ajax, Sporting Lisbon |
Can Borussia Dortmund win the 2022/23 Champions League?
With their clash against Chelsea tightly poised, Dortmund have a crucial advantage following the first leg win amid increasing pressure on Graham Potter at Stamford Bridge.
With only two out of Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern and PSG able to progress to the quarterfinals, the competition is looking quite open.
Dortmund will fancy their chances of reaching the last four if they can avoid one of the superpowers or Manchester City, but Terzic will find it difficult to balance a combined Bundesliga and Champions League challenge in 2023.