Champions League: 12 13 _hot_

First half: Both teams pressed like demons. Dante and Hummels ruled the air. Reus hit the post. Robben missed a one-on-one with Weidenfeller. 0–0 at half.

Dortmund vs. Málaga. This became the craziest game of the season . With Dortmund trailing 2–1 deep into stoppage time in the second leg at home, Marco Reus smashed a shot that deflected in. 2–2. Then, in the 93rd minute, a long ball, a flick from Felipe Santana, and the ball crossed the line—just barely. Dortmund were through. Málaga collapsed in disbelief. Klopp ran onto the pitch hugging everyone.

The stage was set for a German revolution. No one in England, Spain, or Italy saw it coming. champions league 12 13

He slid on his knees, arms out, crying. Schweinsteiger collapsed onto the turf—this time in joy. Lahm lifted the trophy. Jupp Heynckes, in his last game before retiring, had won the Treble.

– The Reckoning. Everyone expected a classic. Instead, Bayern annihilated the champions. First leg in Munich: 4–0. Müller, Gómez, Robben, Müller again. Barça’s tiki-taka looked slow, old, helpless. Second leg at Camp Nou: 3–0. Even without Messi starting, Barça couldn’t cope. Ribery and Robben tore them apart on the wings. Total aggregate: 7–0. The greatest team ever? Not that night. Bayern had reached a new level. First half: Both teams pressed like demons

– The Young Wolves. First leg in Dortmund: 4–1. Robert Lewandowski scored four goals . Four. Against Mourinho’s Real Madrid. He could have had five. The world watched a Polish striker destroy Ramos and Varane with movement, strength, and cold finishing. Second leg in Madrid: Real won 2–0, but it wasn’t enough. Dortmund held on. Mourinho knelt on the pitch afterward—his last Champions League game for Real.

The 2012 final had left Munich in shreds. On their own turf, in the Allianz Arena, Bayern Munich had dominated Chelsea for 120 minutes—only to lose on penalties. The image of Bastian Schweinsteiger on his knees, tears cutting through the sweat, while Didier Drogba took off his shirt in triumph, became a scar the club wore for a full year. Robben missed a one-on-one with Weidenfeller

Meanwhile, Barcelona, still the reigning champions in spirit, tiki-taka’d their way past Spartak Moscow, Celtic, and Benfica. Lionel Messi scored five in one game. They looked inevitable.