Talk of the balance of power in Europe, in geopolitical terms, is usually fraught with history, buzzwords and bad memories.But talk of the balance of power in soccer on the continent burst front and center on Wednesday after Borussia Dortmund, behind four goals by the Polish international striker Robert Lewandowski, dispatched Real Madrid, 4-1, in the first leg of their semifinal series in the UEFA Champions League.
The victory came 24 hours after the new champions of the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich, signaled that Barcelona’s reign as the world’s best team might be coming to an end with its own emphatic win, 4-0, in the first leg of their series.
Now the semifinals switch next week to Spain. Put simply, the two top teams in the Bundesliga have outscored the two top teams in Spain’s La Liga by an eye-popping 8-1 in 180 minutes of play.
The two series certainly are not yet over (see Barcelona’s rally to oust A.C. Milan earlier in the tournament), but it appears likely that the world is close to seeing the first all-German final in the Champions League, at London’s Wembley Stadium on May 25. And get ready for those cringe-worthy headlines from Fleet Street newspapers tomorrow. How could the Brits resist? Here, we’ll refrain.
Dortmund sprang into the lead on a goal by Lewandowski, 24 but Madrid responded before halftime on a goal by Cristiano Ronaldo. From there it was the Lewandowski show as he struck for three goals in the second half to ice the match.
Dortmund, the two-time defending champions in the Bundesliga until it was dethroned this year by Bayern Munich, came into the match on a wave of bad news — its 20-year-old star Mario Götze will soon move to rival Bayern on a $48 million transfer. Now Lewandowski, who had earlier declined to sign a new pact with Dortmund is also reported to be headed to Bavaria for a big payday.
It could happen, it probably will happen. But for one day, at least, German soccer is sitting astride the soccer world, and deservedly so.
When Lewandowski scored his next goal, the hat-trick effort, their breath was taken away. Again he turned sharply on his right foot, spinning away from Pepe to make a tiny bit of space for himself. This time, from further out, he thumped a rocket shot into the top of the net – a brilliant effort to complete a brilliant trio of goals.
And he was not finished. Gundogan's rising shot was superbly saved by López and then, on 67 minutes, the Dutch referee, Bjorn Kuipers, gave a penalty. Inevitably it was Reus breaking into the box, to be pushed down by Xabi Alonso. Lewandowski took the penalty, opting for a long, arcing, fast run-up, like a bowler coming in from round the wicket, and thrashed the ball into the net.
Four goals were not sufficient; still Dortmund's players poured forward, still they attacked. But for López there might have been a fifth or a sixth. The chances were theirs. Until, in the last minute, Roman Weidenfeller had to make a smart save at the feet of Ronaldo. Then, in stoppage time, Varane shot over. It would have been more than Madrid deserved.
This was a historic night. And it was Dortmund's night.
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