For the second consecutive year Dortmund suffered defeat in the final of the DFB-Pokal Cup. However, at the awards ceremony only the Black and Yellows could be heard: “all our life, all our pride – only BVB!” echoed through the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. 45,000 BVB fans were in the stadium and a further 60,000 were in the city.

After 1989, 2008, 2012 and 2014, Berlin was in Black and Yellow hands for the fifth time. About 100,000 BVB fans from around the country travelled to the capital for the Final weekend and to experience the huge yet peaceful festivities. However, only 45,000 of them were at the Olympic Stadium and a further 30,000 in public viewing organised by Evonik. All of Berlin was black and yellow.

The team played at a high level in the first half but failed to play at the undisputed high standard of the deserved winners in the second half. The stadium erupted in the fifth minute when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made it 1-0 and Marco Reus nearly extended the lead to 2-0 just fifteen minutes later. Instead, Wolfsburg responded strongly. Following a massive Naldo free kick Luiz Gustavo reacted quicker than anyone else and made it 1-1 in the 26th minute. Prior to 2-1 (de Bruyne in the 33rd minute), the ball went repeatedly from one end of the pitch to the other but by the time of the third goal by Bas Dost in the 38th minute, the number of errors was too high.

The mood was therefore slightly dampened at the leaving party for Sebastien Kehl, Jürgen Klopp, Zeljko Buvac and Peter Krawietz. “Jürgen, you came to us at a difficult time and have brought a smile back to our faces. You have done so much for us with your optimism and inimitable ways. Thank you for seven years, thanks for huge success and a great friendship!” shouted Hans-Joachim Watzke to the departing Coach. He said: “it is not important what you thought when I arrived. It is extremely important what is thought about you when you go. And I thank you for what you are thinking this evening. We will take that with us and no matter where we are in the world we will never forget it.”

The Cup victory would have been the icing on the cake, but at least there was a happy ending in the league. Although the team missed out on a possible victory with a 1-1 draw against TSG Hoffenheim (Mats Hummels with the goal) by missing numerous chances in the closing stages, the team climbed to a position in which they would qualify for the third qualifying round of the Europa League for the first time since the third game of the season following a 2-0 victory against Hertha BSC. Neven Subotic and Erik Durm scored the goals and Signal Iduna Park exploded.

After a 2-1 defeat at VfL Wolfsburg (Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the goal scorer) there was a sort of “final” for a place in the UEFA Europa League against direct rivals Werder Bremen. The 1-0 lead made by Shinji Kagawa in the 15th minute was the logical consequence of overwhelming superiority. After a one-two with Kagawa, Aubameyang increased the lead to 2-0 two minutes later. Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored the third BVB goal before the break. Borussia won 3-2 and finished the second half of the season with more than double the points they earned in the first half (31 compared to 15). 80,667 supporters gave a standing ovation to Jürgen Klopp and Sebastian Kehl. Countless tears flowed in “their” stadium on the last day of the two great Borussia.

The "Jürgen Klopp, Jürgen Klopp, Jürgen Klopp" chants did not want to stop at all. Under the sound of Trude Herr’s “Niemals geht man so ganz” the team and crowd bowed down before the leaving Coach. Even the Werder Bremen fans offered uninterrupted applause and joined with the Black and Yellows for an unusual spine-tingling moment, rarely or never seen in football.

It was a day of great emotion and grand gestures. It started with Mats Hummels passing his captaincy along to his predecessor and ended with the players forming a guard of honour from the pitch to the changing rooms. Klopp passed through it and enjoyed it so much that he repeated his walk before disappearing from the scene, leaving the pitch free for Kehl to do a lap of honour with his children Luis, 8, and Leni, 5. The final thanks went to the South Stand who gave one of the best Borussia send offs of all time. And so the day ended as it began: with goose bumps and with impressive Jürgen-Klopp choreography.

Boris Rupert