The euphoria of eliminating Chelsea from the Champions League was still fresh in the minds of the Dortmund players when they boarded the team bus for the journey to Munich.
Four days after their triumph over the English giants, they faced a different but equally daunting challenge: a Bundesliga clash against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, a match that could prove decisive in the title race that was reaching its climax.
The rivalry between Dortmund and Bayern was one of the fiercest in European football, a clash of philosophies, styles, and regional pride that transcended the mere accumulation of points.
Bayern, the perennial powerhouse of German football, represented wealth, tradition, and an almost arrogant expectation of success. Dortmund, by contrast, were the challengers, the team built on youth, passion, and a collective spirit that made them beloved by neutrals across the continent.
