Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Dortmund reaches Champions League final

Dortmund's Marco Reus and Marcel Schmelzer, react, after the Champions League semifinal second leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Dortmund's Marco Reus and Marcel Schmelzer, react, after the Champions League semifinal second leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal leaves the pitch at the end of the Champions League semifinal second leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday April 30, 2013. Real Madrid won the game 2-0 but Dortmund advances on a 4-3 aggregate score. (AP Photo/Paul White)

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal, center, reacts during the Champions League semifinal second leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday April 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul White)

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal reacts during the Champions League semifinal second leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday April 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul White)

(AP) ? Borussia Dortmund advanced to the Champions League final for the first time since 1997, withstanding a late rally by Real Madrid to win their semifinal on 4-3 aggregate following a 2-0 loss Tuesday night.

Karim Benzema scored in the 83rd minute and Sergio Ramos in the 88th, putting Real Madrid in position to advance with one more goal. English referee Howard Webb called for five minutes of stoppage time, and Borussia Dortmund hung on to set up the possibility of the first all-German final in soccer's top club competition.

Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich has a four-goal advantage on Barcelona ahead of Wednesday's game. The Champions League final is May 25 at London's Wembley Stadium.

Dortmund reached the final for the first time since 1997, when it beat Juventus 3-1 at Munich's Olympic Stadium for its only European title.

Madrid, which has not reached the final since winning its record ninth title in 2002, was eliminated in the semifinals for the third straight year. Trailing Barcelona by 11 points in the Spanish League with five games left, Real's only realistic hope for a title this season is when it hosts Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey final on May 17.

Real coach Jose Mourinho is expected to leave after his third season, perhaps to return to Chelsea in England's Premier League.

No team has overcome a three-goal deficit from the first leg in a Champions League knockout stage matchup since Deportivo La Coruna beat AC Milan 4-0 in the 2003-04 quarterfinals for a 5-4 aggregate win.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-30-SOC-Dortmund-Real-Madrid/id-9da11aee1e8743709befbc13d4361f69

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