It was the most memorable night of the season yet. Following the hard-fought 3-2 victory over FC Bayern in the DFB Cup semi-final, a look of sheer joy was etched onto the face of every single BVB player, staff member and fan. "There was a feeling of pure joy in the changing rooms," said Marco Reus. The party atmosphere didn't last long, however. The Black and Yellows were quick to switch their focus to the important league match with 1. FC Köln on Saturday. 

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"There's still a bit of time, so we can enjoy it for a little while. But just a little while because it's important that we do well in the Bundesliga. We want to finish in third place so that we don't have to play the Champions League qualifying round," continued Marco Reus. It was admirable how quickly he and his team-mates were able to switch from party to preparation mode. Barely two hours had passed since the final whistle in the Allianz Arena when Reus made that statement.

Marcel Schmelzer was thinking along the same lines: "A wonderful performance. A big compliment to the team, especially to the young players. It's not easy to play like that in Munich, to come back and to reach the final," said the captain, adding: "But what counts now is that we complete the job in Berlin and bring the DFB Cup back to Dortmund. Beating Bayern is not enough for us." Schmelzer is speaking from experience, having been on the losing side in the last three finals at the Olympiastadion. "We don't just want to make it to Berlin this year. We're going to Berlin to win," declared Thomas Tuchel directly after the final whistle.

"I think it could be our year"

One player who made his mark in Munich, even though he didn't score any goals, firmly believes the Black and Yellows will follow up their DFB Cup triumphs in 1965, 1989 and 2012 with a fourth next month. "I think it could be our year. We have a super squad with a lot of quality and a very strong mentality," said Sven "Manni the football god" Bender. "You could certainly say that we're experienced when it comes to finals. We need to make use of that and finally win the title again."

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A turning point in the match came when Sven Bender deflected the ball onto the inside of the post with the tips of his toes.

It might have been Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembélé who got the goals that sealed the victory over Bayern, but Bender played an equally important role with an outstanding performance in the centre of defence. His block with the tips of his toes on the line to deny Arjen Robben was worth just as much as a goal. "I just tried to get something on the ball. Then I somehow lost track of what was happening because I didn't know where it had gone," said Bender as he recalled the situation later. "I just heard the sound of the post, looked and then the ball was back out in play again."

This is precisely the slice of luck you need in the big moments in the big games, said Bender, who gave a cheeky grin as he added: "So if I can manage to make my foot longer than it actually is, I'm fine with that." Marcel Schmelzer reserved some special words of praise for his fellow defender and long-time team-mate. "The incredible clearance that Manni made deserves a special mention. If they'd scored a third goal, it would've been game over."

A small final next week, the big final on 27 May

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The defender's block was the turning point. "We got away with one there," admitted Thomas Tuchel. "Situations like that can decide a game at this level. In any case, it helped to give us our self-confidence back." In the end it was the never-say-die mentality cited by both Bender and his team-mates that put the Black and Yellows on the path to victory in Munich. The monsters of mentality are back. Borussia demonstrated as much last weekend when they came from behind in a topsy-turvy encounter in Mönchengladbach to take all three points. Following the events of the past few weeks, the team seems to have pulled closer together than ever before. Victories like those in Mönchengladbach and Munich will work wonders for self-confidence in the final weeks of the campaign.

Alongside their DFB Cun run, BVB face an equally important race for third place in the Bundesliga. Last week the Westphalians managed to move back into the final automatic Champions League spot, now the objective is to stay there for the final four matches of the season. Next up for BVB are two home games in a row, first against Köln on Saturday and then – even more importantly – against TSG Hoffenheim next week. It is this match with their direct rivals that is likely to decide the battle for third. A so-called six pointer and the first small final for the Black and Yellows this season. The big final, however, will take place in Berlin on 27 May, where BVB will be hoping that a second, equally memorable night will follow.

Dennis-Julian Gottschlich