The 2012–13 Borussia Dortmund season was the 104th season in the club's football history. In 2012–13 the club played in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football. It was the club's 37th consecutive season in this league, having been promoted from the 2. Bundesliga in 1976.
Review and events
The 2012–13 Borussia Dortmund season started on 18 August 2012 with a win against FC Oberneuland.[1] Borussia Dortmund qualified for the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League and were tied in a group with Ajax, Manchester City and Real Madrid; despite being labelled the "group of death", they topped the group by three points.[1] The club's opening league match was against Werder Bremen on 25 August and their opening Champions League match was against Ajax on 18 September.[1]Hamburger SV end the club's 31-match unbeaten streak on 22 September.[2] On 30 April, Borussia Dortmund reached the Champions League Final after defeating group stage opponents Real Madrid 4–3 on aggregate.[3] However, Real Madrid manager José Mourinho was critical of referee Howard Webb not giving Mats Hummels a red card after handling the ball, claiming that he spared Hummels for the Final.[4] On 25 May, in the first all-German Champions League Final, Dortmund lost 2–1 to Bayern Munich.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.