Between a state of shock and enthusiasm – in April it wasn’t just the weather that did what it wanted. Jürgen Klopp’s announcement to leave BVB at the end of the season was the report of the evening in the German magazine “Tagesschau”. After Mitch Langerak’s saves, the champagne corks were popping in Dortmund: Borussia had won in Munich and were through to the Cup Final.

While fireworks lit up the night sky in Dortmund and a city celebrated their football club's qualification for the 72nd Final of the DFB-Pokal Cup, the team had won in unbelievable fashion 600 kilometres away: 2-0 on penalties after an exciting 120 minute game that ended in 1-1. Borussia was in the final!

For a long time it looked like it was going to be a victory for Bayern who took the lead after half an hour thanks to Lewandowski. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang managed to score the equaliser fifteen minutes before the end from a great angle. In the closing stages of normal time, BVB had Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marco Reus and 2-1 in their sights. Kevin Kampl received a second yellow card and Borussia held on until the penalty shootout. Then, the unthinkable happened: the Bayern players Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso both missed the target, while Ilkay Gündogan and Sebastian Kahl created a 2-0 lead for BVB. Mitch Langerak saved the third penalty by Mario Götze and Manuel Neuer saved the third Dortmund penalty by Mats Hummels. “Everyone is pleased and relieved that we can still take something from this season”, said Hummels happily.

Similarly, the quarter-final was also a very exciting round. Borussia came back from a 2-1 deficit to win 3-2 in extra time against TSG Hoffenheim. Sebastien Kehl was the man of the match scoring a superb goal from 25 metres in the 107th minute. Neven Subotic and Aubameyang were the other scorers. Borussia faced FC Bayern once again in April in the Bundesliga. BVB prepared to cause problems for Bayern but ended the game empty handed in a 1-0 defeat with former Borussia player Lewandowski scoring the only goal, who modestly said that: “I have great respect for the club and its fans. I had four fantastic years at Dortmund.” A chance for an equaliser was prevented by Bayern goalkeeper Neuer who pulled off a great save to deny Marco Reus’ near perfect free-kick just before the end.

Another defeat followed in Gladbach. For the third time that season Klopp’s team fell behind in the first minute and didn’t shine enough or create enough goal-scoring chances against 3rd place Mönchengladbach. Ilkay Gündogan scored a mere consolation.

The Black and Yellows confidently beat SC Paderborn 3-0 in front of a near full house with Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang and Shinji Kagawa scoring the goals. This was followed by a 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt with early goals from Aubameyang and Kagawa. BVB climbed to eighth in the table and were therefore in touching distance of an Europa League spot.

All of these matches were outshone by Jürgen Klopp’s resignation. More than 100 journalists packed into the press room at Signal Iduna Park on 15. April as Hans-Joachim Watzke announced the Coach’s desire to resign after the premature termination of the contract that was due to run until 30. June 2018. “All of Borussia offers our eternal gratitude. The one thing that consoles me is that our friendship will remain.” Sporting director Michael Zorc: “we have written a modern football fairy tale in the last seven years.”

The decision had nothing to do with the sporting situation, Klopp assured. He had “the question of whether he was still the perfect Coach for this extraordinary club and in the last few days the answer wasn’t a firm yes.” In his era BVB were the Bundesliga champions twice (2011 and 2012), runners-up twice (2013 and 2014), the Cup winners in 2012 and reached the Champions League Final in 2013. With an average of 1.92 points per Bundesliga game, Klopp is the most successful Coach of all time at BVB – ahead of Ottmar Hitzfeld (1.85) and Matthias Sammer (1.74). Out of respect for him the news of his successor wasn’t revealed until four days later: Thomas Tuchel had arrived.

The ‘Handball-Damen’ celebrated their return to the Bundesliga and Borussia’s commitment against any form of discrimination was gaining more and more attention abroad. An Isreali TV Station invited the fans’ representative Daniel Lörcher to Tel Aviv for the National Holocaust Memorial Day. The subject: BVB and its fight against anti-Semitism.

Boris Rupert