Three goals in thirty minutes against AC Milan, one of them even with a flying header: Márcio Amoroso (h.) in the biggest game of his career for BVB.
Photo: image/ Work
Márcio Amoroso was in Dortmund again recently. He chatted a little about the old days, about the championship he won in 2002 and the 28 goals he scored for Borussia in four years despite numerous injuries. Amoroso is now 49 years old, he works as a building contractor in his native Brazil and doesn’t have much to do with football anymore. But in Dortmund they still think about him. Above all because of the game that will be associated with his name for eternity. It was the semi-final in the UEFA Cup against AC Milan, who will be back in the Westfalenstadion on Wednesday when the European football circus called the Champions League makes its season debut in Dortmund.
Things are going quite well at BVB at the moment, the team is gradually finding its feet and played as confidently as a championship candidate should in the 3-1 win against Hoffenheim on Friday. But what is the early form in autumn 2023 compared to the rush of spring 2002? Back when Dortmund chased the world club from Milan back over the Alps 4-0.
Circus Europe
Photo: Private
Previously simply the national champions’ cup, today the Champions League: a staged spectacle and football’s money-printing machine. Sven Goldmann looks ahead to the upcoming match day.
Milan had a great team, with Christian Abbiati in goal, club legend Paolo Maldini in defense, Andrea Pirlo directing the midfield and Filippo Inzaghi scoring the goals up front. On April 4, 2002, they were all just extras at Márcio Amoroso’s big show. It started with a slight contact by Cosmin Contra in the Milan penalty area against Amoroso and a penalty of which Dortmund’s Brazilian later said: “You didn’t necessarily have to give it,” which means something like: It definitely wasn’t one. Since the German football wisdom, according to which a fouled player should under no circumstances shoot himself, is no longer known in Brazil, Amoroso went to the execution and the score was 1-0 for BVB. There was a lot more art involved in the second goal, when Amoroso elegantly lifted the ball over the unfortunate Martin Laursen with his first touch, passed it to him with the second and made it 2-0 with the third. And because he was just getting going, he did it really spectacularly a few minutes later with a diving header from a cross from his compatriot Ewerthon.
Three goals in thirty minutes against Milan – this feat is a rarity, and Amoroso still speaks of the greatest game of his career. The fact that Jörg Heinrich scored a fourth time for BVB shortly before the end was more than just a detail. In the second leg, Dortmund almost celebrated their lead when Milan were already 3-0 ahead and only a goal from Lars Ricken eliminated any remaining doubts.
And yet the entire story almost had a terrible end for BVB. Yes, a championship was finally celebrated again at Borsigplatz. But four days later the UEFA Cup final was lost to Feyenoord and three years later almost the entire club lost. The Dortmund team had overextended themselves by acquiring world stars such as Tomáš Rosický, Jan Koller or, precisely (!) Márcio Amoroso. Borussia narrowly avoided bankruptcy in the spring of 2005. It is a small miracle that a generation of football later they are once again welcoming noble guests to the Champions League like AC Milan on Wednesday. No less worthy than the magical night of Márcio Amoroso in April 2002.
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