Edin Terzic: How Borussia Dortmund reached the Champions League final – Part 1

Borussia Dortmund’s run to the 2024 Champions League final included plenty of memorable performances. From topping the toughest of groups, to knocking out PSV Eindhoven and Atlético Madrid to reach the last four, Edin Terzic’s team were mightily impressive. All of which led to a semi-final showdown with star-studded Paris Saint-Germain  – the subject of our two-part Coaches’ Voice exclusive Masterclass with Terzic, who was head coach of Dortmund for two and a half seasons between 2020 and 2024.

Although Dortmund had finished above PSG in 2023/24 Champions League Group F, the French champions had shown their quality by taking four points from their head-to-head meetings. Now they were fresh from beating Barcelona 4-1, away from home, to clinch a semi-final date with Dortmund. And PSG’s expensively assembled team – from Gianluigi Donnarumma at the back to Kylian Mbappé up front – were widely tipped to end the Bundesliga club’s impressive run.

Instead, Terzic and his team rose to the occasion. A well-drilled Dortmund put in two wonderfully disciplined and skilled performances, across 180 minutes of Champions League football, to win both legs 1-0. It was an elite test that they passed with flying colours, not least keeping two clean sheets against PSG’s array of attacking talent. And below, in the first of his two-part Masterclass, Terzic reveals in fascinating detail the diligent plans that his players put into practice. 

In part one, below, Terzic talks through the team selections for the first leg and discusses the mentality he needed to instil in his players for the challenge they faced. Then, with great clarity and expertise, he explains the out-of-possession principles and tactics that Dortmund used to great effect against such tough opposition.

See part two of Edin Terzic’s Masterclass, here.