Dortmund After Defeat in Bergamo, Switzerland Without Teams in Europe

Club football in Germany and Switzerland is undergoing a moment of deep self-reflection after a series of failures in continental cups. Borussia Dortmund, following a humiliating defeat in Bergamo, is trying to diagnose the causes of its weakness. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel personally apologized to the fans, taking on part of the responsibility, but sports media point to deeper structural problems and management errors. As a consequence of the sporting failure, the club's shares on the stock exchange recorded significant declines, reflecting investor anxiety about the financial stability of the project in the face of losing bonuses for further rounds of the Champions League. Borussia Dortmund triumphed in the Champions League in 1997, which to this day remains the foundation of their identity as a club aspiring to be a permanent part of the European elite. An equally dramatic situation prevails in Switzerland. The official farewell of Lausanne-Sport from the Conference League after the match against Sigma Olomouc means the Swiss federation is left without any representative in Europe. This is an unprecedented situation in recent decades, which directly hits the country's UEFA ranking. Local media describe this moment as „the end of the journey” and predict a laborious struggle to regain former positions in the European hierarchy. Criticism touches not only the results but also the lack of efficiency in utilizing the home advantage. Switzerland has traditionally been considered a solid middle tier of European football, regularly exporting talents to the continent's top leagues. Meanwhile, Italy's Serie A is buzzing with preparations for the Roma-Juventus blockbuster. Good news for the Romans is the return of Paulo Dybala to group training, who is expected to be ready for Sunday's clash. The team from Florence, AC Fiorentina, despite securing advancement, is paying for its success with injuries to key players. German international Robin Gosens suffered a double facial fracture, which will force him to play with a special protective mask in the coming weeks. Coach Vanoli admitted that despite the joy of qualification, the physical price his team paid is very high. „Ich finde es unfassbar. Diese Millimeter-Entscheidungen beim Abseits verstehe ich nicht mehr, der Fußball braucht hier mehr Toleranz.” (I find it unbelievable. I no longer understand these millimeter offside decisions; football needs more tolerance here.) — Ermedin Demirović „Es tut mir super leid. Ich fühle mich extrem schlecht wegen des Fehlers, der uns so teuer zu stehen kam.” (I'm really sorry. I feel extremely bad about the mistake that cost us so dearly.) — Gregor Kobel