Borussia Dortmund chairman: 'I locked myself in the toilet at the Bernabeu'

Hans-Joachim Watzke couldn't bear to watch the final minute's of his side's Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid

James Harris
Wednesday 01 May 2013 08:21 EDT
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Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos scored late goals for Real Madrid but they weren't enough to stop Borussia Dortmund reaching the final
Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos scored late goals for Real Madrid but they weren't enough to stop Borussia Dortmund reaching the final (GETTY IMAGES)

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Borussia Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke locked himself in a toilet at the Bernabeu last night in the final minutes of his side’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

Madrid scored two goals in the last 10 minutes and needed just one more to qualify for the final at Wembley.

But the German side held on for a 4-3 aggregate win and they will be making the trip to London on 25 May, much to the delight of a relieved chairman.

“"It seems like we only can do it with drama,” Watzke said on the club's official website.

“For the first time in my life I had to give up due to heart problems. I went to the toilet for the last minutes, locked myself in, covered my ears and looked at my watch. I had all kinds of thoughts going through my head.”

Director of sport Michael Zorc was also on edge after Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos almost sparked one of the remarkable comebacks.

“We have earned ourselves a huge reputation in Europe. In the last minutes I was close to a heart attack. But when there is a positive outcome, it's all good,” said Zorc.

"It was great. In the second half we played a really good game. In the space of 10 minutes we had four golden chances.

"When you don't take them then you are often punished. That's why it was really tight again. That was not in the plan. But, in retrospect, it was only a slight deviation from the plan."

Dortmund will be joined in the final by either Bayern Munich or Barcelona, with the German side holding a four goal advantage from the first leg.

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