Sport Borussia Dortmund
Hummels’ application for a place at the European Championships
As of: 12:26 p.m. | Reading time: 3 minutes
He wasn’t part of the starting eleven for weeks. But in the 3-1 win over Frankfurt, Mats Hummels is recommended for further appearances in the BVB jersey. This increases the chance of getting a European Championship ticket. But he won’t ask for anything.
From noble reserve to match winner: Mats Hummels provided several arguments for returning to Borussia Dortmund’s starting eleven. In the 3-1 (1-1) win against Eintracht Frankfurt, the 35-year-old veteran not only made a name for himself as a defensive leader and verbal driver, but also as a goalscorer. With his header to make it 2-1 in the 81st minute, he paved the way for Borussia to return to fourth place in the Bundesliga table. “Mats is an extremely experienced and extremely important player for us, he proved that again today,” enthused football teacher Edin Terzic.
The Dortmund coach’s effusive praise certainly cannot be taken for granted. Ultimately, Hummels had to make do with a place on the substitutes’ bench for weeks before the suspension for Nico Schlotterbeck in the second leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League against Eindhoven (2-0) last Wednesday gave him a place in the starting line-up. The 2014 world champion took his chance against both the Dutch and Frankfurt.
“Now let’s enjoy this”
“We are going into the international break with a much better feeling than we indicated two weeks ago. Now we’re enjoying it,” said Hummels after BVB’s fourth competitive win in a row. The 3-1 win against Frankfurt after further goals from Karim Adeyemi (13th) and Emre Can (90th + 3/foul penalty) was the first success this season against a team from the top 6.
Mats Hummels (r.) scores with a header to make it 2-1 for BVB
What: AP
Hummels saw this as a source of encouragement for the challenging weeks ahead with maturity tests against the top Bundesliga teams from Munich, Stuttgart, Leipzig and Leverkusen as well as two quarter-final games against Atlético Madrid in the premier class. “We’re having a cracking April now. This is going to be intense. Then we see where we stand.”
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It is quite possible that Hummels can also play a key role in helping to qualify for the Champions League again and thus Borussia’s most important goal of the season. “I just congratulated him. I was personally happy for him. It was an important goal,” said sports director Sebastian Kehl, commenting on the central defender’s well-placed header into the bottom right corner after Julian Brandt’s free kick.
“The others are too good for that”
According to Hummel’s statement, his exclusion from the national team’s games against France and the Netherlands came as no surprise: “To be honest, I expected it,” he admitted to DAZN. “It was my first Bundesliga game since mid-December. The others are too good for someone to be nominated who doesn’t play regularly.” Hummels added with a smile: “That’s why I had already planned the weeks with my son. That didn’t come as a surprise to me.”
Hummels and national coach Julian Nagelsmann (r.) during the trip to the USA in October 2023
Source: dpa
At least club coach Terzic gave him hope for more appearances. This could have positive consequences for Hummels with a view to the home European Championships and national coach Julian Nagelsmann may change his mind when planning his squad. “If Mats continues to perform like this, maybe something will change about this disregard,” said Terzic.
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The BVB veteran himself has not yet given up his dream of taking part in the home European Championship. “I just do what I can do. And then we’ll see. It’s completely understandable that the guys who deliver top performances are there,” said Hummels.
