BERLIN - Schalke clinched Germany's last Champions League spot by winning 2-1 at Freiburg in the final round of Bundesliga games on Saturday, while Fortuna Duesseldorf was relegated after losing 3-0 at Hannover.]]>Sat, 18 May 2013 15:01:42 -0400http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/a7fd52a4b0aa4afaa44280186cc835a8/SOC--Dortmund-Quietly-Confidenthttp://www.therepublic.com/view/story/a7fd52a4b0aa4afaa44280186cc835a8/SOC--Dortmund-Quietly-Confident

DORTMUND, Germany - Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp is well aware that most people expect Bayern Munich to win the teams' all-German Champions League final. All he wants is for his players to make the most of their chance.]]>Wed, 15 May 2013 12:48:38 -0400http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/09c4fd3a4a5247489f40b5d134cd9b49/SOC--German-Dominancehttp://www.therepublic.com/view/story/09c4fd3a4a5247489f40b5d134cd9b49/SOC--German-Dominance

BERLIN - German efficiency is beating Spanish flair again in football.]]>Thu, 02 May 2013 10:48:09 -0400http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/336e44c8d23d4bca8eb1d0c7f71b456a/SOC-Dortmund-Real-Madridhttp://www.therepublic.com/view/story/336e44c8d23d4bca8eb1d0c7f71b456a/SOC-Dortmund-Real-Madrid

MADRID - Borussia Dortmund needed every bit of its first-leg advantage to stave off a comeback attempt by Real Madrid and reach the Champions League final for the first time since 1997.]]>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:24:21 -0400http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/269b599f2ea94365802a18555526216a/SOC--Real-Madrid-Borussia-Dortmundhttp://www.therepublic.com/view/story/269b599f2ea94365802a18555526216a/SOC--Real-Madrid-Borussia-Dortmund

MADRID - Borussia Dortmund needed every bit of its first-leg advantage to stave off a comeback attempt by Real Madrid on Tuesday and reach its first Champions League final since 1997.]]>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:30:20 -0400http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/73b952d7f7084981b24f3882d4c2b4a6/SOC--AP-Global-Football-10http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/73b952d7f7084981b24f3882d4c2b4a6/SOC--AP-Global-Football-10MANCHESTER, England - After dominating the first legs of their Champions League semifinals, it's no surprise to see Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund leading the way in the latest Associated Press global football poll.]]>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:26:51 -0400http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/77bce33599904654b059f62fd17f99fb/SOC--Champions-League-Previewhttp://www.therepublic.com/view/story/77bce33599904654b059f62fd17f99fb/SOC--Champions-League-PreviewBARCELONA, Spain - Fierce rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid are bound to a common cause after heavy losses in the Champions League: the need to believe in miracles.]]>Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:08:49 -0400http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/0b297b1c676b43f68620a997c5775eda/SOC--Dortmund-Real-Madridhttp://www.therepublic.com/view/story/0b297b1c676b43f68620a997c5775eda/SOC--Dortmund-Real-Madrid

DORTMUND, Germany - Drawing strength from a moment of adversity, Borussia Dortmund romped to a convincing 4-1 victory over Real Madrid on Wednesday and took a huge step toward the Champions League final.]]>Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:58:19 -0400http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/e4e8b1fb67994b48b54caa681a49bd30/SOC--Bayern-Gomezhttp://www.therepublic.com/view/story/e4e8b1fb67994b48b54caa681a49bd30/SOC--Bayern-GomezMUNICH - Mario Gomez has been waiting patiently for his opportunity. It may come in one of the biggest games of the season.]]>Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:32:57 -0400