European heartbreak at Wembley is not a new feeling for Borussia Dortmund – they felt this very emotion on this very turf a little over a decade ago, falling to a last-gasp defeat against Bayern Munich on that occasion.
This time around, it was the turn of a Real Madrid side that carries a dangerous air of inevitability to shatter die Schwarzgelben hearts. Los Blancos had been dominated throughout the entirety of the first half, but as the business end of proceedings drew nearer, their individual quality shone through.
Speaking post-match to the congregation of media in the press conference room at Wembley Stadium, Terzić admitted that “it’s quite hard to find the right words.”
“I have quite the chaos of emotions,” he explained, suggesting that he is “quite proud but then I’m also disappointed and empty, so it’s really difficult for me to think about the last 12 months and analyse that period.”
Embed from Getty Images“I think we’ve had a season that’s had a lot of ups and downs, we’ve talked a lot about this season that we’ve had too many changes and games that didn’t go our way. Today was the perfect example of what is possible with this team, what we can achieve and that’s what’s important from tomorrow onwards.”
Giving an insight into the conversations that took place post-match in the Dortmund changing room, Terzić expressed that “there was a big disappointment within the group,” but the 41-year-old stressed that “what is really good is we showed from the first whistle that we are here to win a final, and that’s why we feel these mixed feelings. It was also the final game of the season, there are players that are going to leave the team and leave the club so it was a very emotional moment inside the dressing room.”
Despite a summer of change that will see the likes of Marco Reus depart Dortmund, Terzić left one key message for the club’s supporters: “Don’t let the doubt take over – we need to keep the belief high.”
“It’s been incredible – we heard that nearly 100k fans from Dortmund came to London with the belief to win against Real Madrid and this is a really, really great feeling if you get this kind of support. We knew that many more would like to come… once again, thank you for your support, thank you for your belief and now the biggest challenge is to keep this belief high.”