Dortmund face tough challenges after Champions League defeat

They threatened to shock Real Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday before succumbing to a bitter 2-0 defeat at Wembley, but Borussia Dortmund face an uncertain future.

The German underdogs carved out several chances in the first half and had Real on the back foot, with Niclas Fuellkrug hitting the inside of the post and Karim Adeyemi troubling the Madrid defence with his speed.

On another night, with a little more luck and perhaps some more composure in front of goal, Dortmund could have produced one of the most unlikely victories in recent Champions League history.

But Real, as they have done so often in this tournament, waited for their chance and struck, Dani Carvajal heading in after 74 minutes.

The goal cut Dortmund’s stubborn resistance and Vinicius Junior added a second eight minutes later to put Madrid on course for a 15th Champions League trophy.

The fight and resilience shown by Dortmund throughout the run to the final will give them plenty to draw from, as will the performances of Julian Brandt, Karim Adeyemi and Gregor Kobel, who are set to stay.

But the effort should not obscure the true nature of the task at hand for a club who have just finished fifth in the Bundesliga, a whopping 27 points behind Bayer Leverkusen, and are in a period of upheaval.

Terzic to stay

For a club of Dortmund’s resources and history, there should be no shame in losing narrowly to Real Madrid.

Several excellent sides have also fallen at the final hurdle against Madrid, including the best versions of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.

Tipped to not even make it out of a group featuring Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle and AC Milan, Dortmund qualified first.

They made it past Dutch champions PSV