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Didier Deschamps would know Mats Hummels has a habit of rising to the occasion. From his technical area, the France coach had seen the Germany central defender do that in the 2014 World Cup quarter-final at Maracana. On Tuesday, he was in the stands at Parc des Princes when Hummels sank Paris St-Germain (PSG) with a 50th minute header.
With his first goal of the 2023-24 competition, Hummels hauled Borussia Dortmund to where they looked unlikely to be all season: the Champions League final at Wembley, a redux of 2013. As Dortmund players rushed to their fans, and Kylian Mbappe stood like he was stranded in the middle of a road during rush hour, television cameras caught Edin Terzic and Hummels, the manager and his messiah, in a hug. It told a story.
At 35, Hummels has been one of Dortmund’s most consistent players in the Champions League in a season where at home the shadow of losing the 2022-23 Bundesliga at the last minute always loomed large. As Dortmund limped to fifth in the Bundesliga – enough to get a berth in the expanded Champions League next term, something denied to the Premier League because their teams did not go as deep – Terzic was charged with not being able to develop a style. His team was not even an imitation of the side that Juergen Klopp took to Bundesliga glory and the 1-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, it was said, rightly.
Yet, look where they are now.
It was Terzic’s tactical nous that had Dortmund aiming to get the ball behind PSG’s defence in the first leg. In Paris, PSG ran into a high pressing yellow wall that forced them to play opposite to where Mbappe was. 45% of PSG’s attacks came from the right, 33% from the left. Also, no manager can get players to put in the kind of collective defensive shift Dortmund produced en route to London unless he has the players’ buy-in. Teamwork and little bit of luck, said Terzic after making the final.
Among those at the core of that defensive shift was Hummels. In the way he dispossessed Mbappe in the fifth minute as PSG tried a quick throw-in; protecting the ball under pressure and playing it to goalkeeper Gregor Kobel in the eighth; getting between Goncalo Ramos and Ousmane Dembele’s delivery in the 20th; sliding in to deny Mbappe a shot in the 35th – the best interception of the night – and stepping out of defence to clear his lines in the 91st, it was almost like Hummels was reliving the 2014 World Cup quarter-final.
Then, he had scored with the back of his head. In Paris, it was with a typical central defender’s goal, running into space to meet Julian Brandt’s corner-kick. From 2008-16, Hummels was an integral part of Borussia Dortmund and Germany, winning Bundesliga, World Cup, playing the semi-final of the European Championship and a Champions League final. He returned in 2019 after three successful seasons at serial Germany champions Bayern.
Along with Marco Reus, Hummels will have another shot at Champions League redemption. At a club where selling players is a business model, Reus, who will retire at the end of the season, has refused offers and been a constant for the past 12 years (425 matches, 168 goals and 128 assists). “His connection to Borussia Dortmund is extraordinary,” club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has said. Nothing can compensate for missing the 2014 World Cup due to injury – Reus’ loss meant Shkodran Mustafi had to cancel his holiday plan – but a Champions League winners’ medal might come close.
PSG rattled the framework four times in the second half through Warren Zaire-Emery, Nuno Mendes, Mbappe and Vitinha. They did that twice in Dortmund. “What does it depend on? The Holy Spirit passing by,” manager Luis Enrique was quoted as saying. PSG had 44 attempts over two legs and no goal. “When you’re not efficient at both ends, it’s difficult to go through.” said Mbappe. His effort from range was one of their 25 off-target shots.
This was supposed to be his night, one which would be talked about long after he had swapped capital cities, possibly between France and Spain. But twice, Dortmund had managed to rein in Mbappe. The second time by keeping him away from the ball in areas he likes them. Easier said than done as Argentina will tell you. 42% of PSG’s goals in this Champions League have come from Mbappe. When he doesn’t score, they struggle.
Proof of how quickly such games turn came in Hummels scoring three minutes after Zaire-Emery had banged into the upright. Between them, Dembele and Achraf Hakimi sent 28 crosses but possibly because they were a young team – at 24 years and 157 days, this was, as per Opta, the youngest starting 11 in a Champions league semi-final since Arsenal in 2009 – PSG came close but not close enough.
So, Dortmund will always have Paris. “How we won the game, no one will ask tomorrow. Shots against the post won’t matter tomorrow. Nobody expected this. It’s just incredible.” On such a night, it is best that Reus has the last word.
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