2013 Champions League Final vs Borussia Dortmund

Lore & Background

The team won the Regionalliga West in 2009 and became the second reserve team to play in the third tier, after Bayern Munich II. They were immediately relegated back to the fourth level, but won the Regionalliga West again in 2011–12. They were relegated in 2015 and did not return until the 2021–22 season.

In Their Own Story

The rain at Wembley felt heavier than usual, washing over the pitch as the clock ticked past the 90th minute. The air was thick with the roar of two distinct waves of fans, separated by mere yards but worlds apart in their hope and despair. Inside the Bayern dressing room, the silence before the restart was absolute; every player knew that one more mistake would mean another year of waiting. Then came the break. Arjen Robben received the ball on the right flank, his eyes scanning the box where Mario Mandžukić had just forced a save. With the clock bleeding into stoppage time, Robben cut inside, leaving the Dortmund defense in his wake. The stadium held its breath as he struck the ball low and hard into the bottom corner. For a split second, there was silence, followed by an eruption of sound that seemed to shake the very foundations of London.

Reader's Guide

Borussia Dortmund II plays their matches at the Stadion Rote Erde, which has a capacity of 9,999 for league matches. The stadium belongs to the City of Dortmund.

Did You Know?

• The team won the Regionalliga West in 2009, 2011–12, and 2020–21.
• The team reached the final of the 1991 Westphalia Cup, losing 1–6 against Arminia Bielefeld.
• On 9 August 2014, the Stadion Rote Erde was sold out with 9,999 spectators for the first time in its history at a home match of Borussia Dortmund II.