Mind-Blowing Qualifiers for the Champions League: Kovac's Stroke Stuns BVB Bosses Silent
Kovac's extraordinary work leaves BVB authorities in awe.
By Stephan Uersfeld, Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund is back in action, securing a spot in the Champions League for an unprecedented tenth consecutive time following a stunning revival. After a bleak season that left the club's confidence shattered by March, old-school coach Kovac led the team to an incredible comeback, saving millions in expenditure that were already planned.
The Phoenix of Dortmund rose from the ashes once again, qualifying for the Champions League with an incredible eight game winning streak, scoring 22 points from a possible 24 and beating relegated Holstein Kiel 3-0. A packed Westfalenstadion with 81,365 spectators witnessed the Champions League anthem echo throughout the stadium as the final whistle marked the end of the 2024/2025 season.
"I'd looked over the table a week ago before the game, and you can't usually achieve that," said outgoing club boss Hans-Joachim Watzke in an interview with Sky after the game. He sprinted down from the tribune to the pitch and soon found himself in front of a microphone. "This is unbelievable. We did what belongs in football: running, winning duels, attacking – and then success comes if you have a good team."
A Shift in Leipzig
At the 25th matchday of the season, it was inconceivable to imagine that Dortmund had a good team. They suffered a 0-1 home loss and then endured another defeat in Leipzig. However, something was different in that Saxony match. Dortmund played football, amassed 26 shots on goal, many of them dangerous, but simply had no luck. The 0-2 defeat against RB Leipzig on March 15, 2025, marked the beginning of the transformation. The situation seemed hopeless, with a 10-point deficit between Dortmund and fourth place and eight games still to play. As always in past years, this was a catalyst for a comeback.
Teams like Wolfsburg, Augsburg, and Bremen had overtaken Dortmund in mid-March. Only the Champions League stood between Borussia Dortmund and disaster. Here, they had advanced to the quarterfinals against FC Barcelona by seeing off Benfica Lisbon and OSC Lille. A glimmer of hope shone amidst a dismal season.
While the Champions League campaign ended with a loss to FC Barcelona and their charismatic coach Flick, the defeat in Leipzig marked the turning point in the league. Dortmund went on to beat everyone except Bayern Munich.
Dortmund's Extraordinary Comeback
"What he has accomplished is one of the greatest coaching performances in the history of BVB," raved sporting director Lars Ricken after the incredible comeback of the Dortmund team in an interview with Sky.
It was a coaching performance that owed much to breathing life and discipline back into the squad. While Nuri Sahin had always wished to be a friend to the players in his seven months, Kovac created a stir with his "old school" coaching style. Kovac and his staff focused on recovery methods and controlled aspects of it. They were aware of who was in which ice bath at all times. They thought about football day and night.
Kovac observed when players deviated from routines in critical moments and let them know. This earned him respect. He kept his distance but also motivated his players. He provided the team with a new foundation, and step by step, the professionals woke up. They had more freedom to advance and were no longer just concerned with ball possession. There were clear conversations and tasks. A firm embrace. This helped.
From Transfer Flop to Key Player, Others Disappear
From transfer flop Pascal Gross, Kovac forged a cornerstone in the offensive game. He transformed the always contentious Ramy Bensebaini into an internationally class left-back. By relieving goalkeeper Gregor Kobel of the construction burden, he restored his strength. Many things fell into place suddenly. Even new summer signing Maximilian Beier hints at why he could be an essential part of BVB in the future. The offensively fluctuating Jamie Gittens saw minimal playing time due to his performances not aligning with expectations.
The Berlin brothers Niko and Robert Kovac, hired as emergency paramedics, and their colleagues-in-arms made a genuine effort from February 2nd and gave Bundesliga club knocking on the gates of hell a little self-confidence back. Even though it took time. "We started without self-confidence and over time our self-confidence grew. Then things that are relatively simple start to work," Kovac said after the win against Holstein Kiel. This had never happened before.
But this time it worked. Even against Kiel. "From our side, the game is easily told," added Kiel's coach Marcel Rapp. "We started with a controversial penalty, then a mistake, and the decisive duel, which decided the game for us." It unfolded quickly: Foul by Lewis Holtby on Felix Nmecha after barely a minute, penalty for Serhou Guirassy after three minutes, red card for Carl Johansson after nine minutes. He could only stop Karim Adeyemi with a foul. Emergency stop, no argument.
Restless ripples threaten the game
Borussia Dortmund needed a 3-0 win to secure their place in the Champions League and avoid a nervous glance towards Breisgau. There, SC Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt were also in the running for the Champions League in a direct clash. If Dortmund had won with a 2-0 lead, only a narrow win by SC Freiburg with a 1-0 lead would have ended all BVB dreams of the big deal.
After the early 1-0, the red card for Kiel, and Felix Nmecha's late 3-0, it was all over. Simple things had worked and BVB was in the Champions League for the tenth consecutive time. On the pitch, marketing chief executive Carsten Cramer paid homage to the brothers Niko and Robert, almost prostrating himself before them.
In the mixed zone, sporting director Sebastian Kehl said: "Borussia Dortmund aims for the Champions League. We do this every year. Therefore, no additional cash has been brought in here today." Sebastian Kehl, sporting director, said in the mixed zone: "The Champions League qualification was factored into our budget. It doesn't make our budget bigger. It's exactly what we had planned."
Leipzig overshadowed in the race for the Club World Cup qualification
Because that's what it was. It was a significant amount of money that Dortmund had nearly thrown away and then reclaimed. The only publicly traded club in the league could have increased its market capitalization by around 80 million euros in the months under Kovac until Friday.
Negotiations with a new shirt sponsor should be smoother now with the visibility of the top league for the BVB. And then there's the Club World Cup in 2030, for which only two German teams are likely to qualify through their performances in Europe, if this money-printing machine of FIFA still exists in four years. A year without Europe would have left its mark on that, a glance at Leipzig is enough in the coming years.
All this Kovac had achieved. Almost no one had expected it. "It's like hiring Horst Heldt as a sporting director," it was said exemplarily in a podcast at the end of January. That couldn't be seen as a compliment.
Kovac arrived as a "Failure"
The native Berliner came to Dortmund as a failure. After his miraculous years at Eintracht Frankfurt, his career fell apart. He had saved Frankfurt from relegation in the promotion/relegation games against Nuremberg in 2016, reached the cup final for the first time in 2017, but lost to BVB. He gave the eagles such a boost with the legendary victory in the DFB-Pokal final against Bayern the following year that the club knew only one way: up.
But for coach Kovac, it was downhill from 2018. He won the double with Bayern, but his failed attempt to bench Thomas Müller remained in memory. He spent a semester abroad with AS Monaco and, after failing to win a single game in a row at VfL Wolfsburg in March 2024, his time at top clubs seemed to be over.
The "FAZ" didn't have nice things to say about him. It's no longer enough in the Bundesliga to rely "especially on discipline, fitness, and commitment." "Whoever is supposed to explain at the tactics board what exactly the special thing about the current playing idea of Wolfsburg could be, stands before a challenging to unsolvable task," it said there.
Kovac retreated to Croatia. There he watched the trees in his garden grow. Eventually, he began to consider offers again. He engaged in discussions abroad and seized the opportunity that appeared following Nuri Sahin's failure. He was met with much skepticism.
"It was the boys"
On that Saturday, he stood in the center circle after the game, pacing back and forth, as Yellow Wall fans on the south beckoned him. He approached slowly. He pointed to the team. He shouted: "It was the boys!" and they cheered. Kovac sat down in the press room and said: "It's always like that in life. One person is happy, another isn't. There are always different perspectives. I've done my job here." Sometimes it's the simple things in life.
"I don't want to overemphasize it, I'm happy, but we don't need to celebrate. We've only become fourth. It's the minimum goal," said the Berlin-born Croat. Borussia Dortmund lives to fight another day. Niko Kovac has saved them.
- Champions League
- Football Bundesliga
- Niko Kovac
- Borussia Dortmund
Enrichment Data:
Niko Kovač is the head coach who took control of Borussia Dortmund in early February 2025, replacing Nuri Şahin during a tumultuous 2024/2025 Bundesliga season. Under Şahin, Dortmund struggled significantly, sitting in 11th place and 10 points behind the Champions League qualification zone by Matchday 26. Kovač’s arrival marked a turning point in Dortmund’s campaign[2][3].
Kovač’s impact on Dortmund’s pursuit of Champions League qualification was profound and multifaceted:
- Tactical Adjustment: One of Kovač’s first major changes was switching Dortmund's defensive system from a back four to a back three, addressing defensive weaknesses and reducing their goals conceded per game from 1.7 before his tenure to 1.3 afterward[2].
- Improved Results: Although the initial results under Kovač were mixed, with four losses in his first six matches, the team soon found form. In the last 20 league games of the season, Dortmund won six of their last seven matches, enabling a remarkable climb from 11th place to a strong position challenging for a top-four finish[2][5].
- Team Motivation and Discipline: Kovač was noted for pushing the players hard, as striker Karim Adeyemi highlighted, which translated into renewed team focus and resilience[5].
- Closing the Gap: By mid-May 2025, Dortmund stood just behind Eintracht Frankfurt and Freiburg, who were also vying for Champions League spots. Dortmund controlled their destiny heading into the final match round, needing a decisive win over relegated Holstein Kiel to secure qualification[2][5].
- Recognition: The club’s figures and former players, including Lars Ricken, praised Kovač’s leadership and role in salvaging what many had considered a lost season[1].
In summary, Niko Kovač transformed Borussia Dortmund’s 2024/2025 season from mid-table obscurity into genuine contenders for the Champions League. His tactical acumen, motivational skills, and ability to swiftly adapt the squad's playing style were critical in putting Dortmund on the cusp of qualifying for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign[2][5].
- Borussia Dortmund secured their tenth consecutive Champions League qualification in a remarkable comeback under head coach Niko Kovac.
- The turnaround began in a Leipzig match in March, where Dortmund played football despite losing 0-2. This marked a shift in their fortunes, as they went on to beat all opposition except Bayern Munich.
- Kovac's coaching approach, focusing on discipline and strategy, revitalized the squad, with key players like Pascal Gross and Ramy Bensebaini significantly improving their performances. This transformation saved Dortmund millions in expenditure that had already been planned.
