It is testimony to not only Borussia Dortmund as a club but Jurgen Klopp as a coach that while many were writing the team off as `one hit wonders`, for replacing Bayern Munich as Bundesliga champions, they got on with the job of taking another giant leap forward. That would entail transferring their domestic dominance on to the stage of Europe`s premier club competition, a tough ask considering their poor showing 12 months earlier when they bowed out, with a whimper, after the group stage.

The task became even more daunting when the draw for the Champions` League qualifying group was made putting the champions of Germany, Spain, Holland and England into Group D. Very few pundits outside Dortmund`s home in the industrial heartland of the Ruhr expected Germany`s team of the moment to emerge from the group, let alone unbeaten but that`s exactly what happened. And top of the group for good measure.

Jurgen Klopp`s team made the best possible start to what many considered the toughest of groups with a 1-0 home victory over Ajax. They could have made the winning margin more emphatic but for a missed penalty from Mats Hummels. But they stuck at the task with typical patience and were rewarded three minutes from time with the only goal of the game when the player who was to prove their talisman on the way to the final at Wembley, Robert Lewandowski, scored.

Matchday 2 took Dortmund to the Etihad where their reduced level of expectation was the polar opposite of Manchester City`s cash-fuelled Champions` League dream. Borussia went ahead through German Footballer of the Year Marco Reus, a surprise capture from Borussia Monchengladbach, and would have secured back to back wins but for a late penalty equaliser from the enigmatic Mario Balotelli.

Such was the high quality of Dortmund`s performance on the night that coach Jurgen Klopp said afterwards.

“We were almost terrified out there at how perfectly our plan came together.”

The next fixture would, in many peoples` eyes, be the most testing as far as how well Borussia would fare in this season`s Champions` League.

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Quietly and confidently Dortmund went into that, their third group fixture, at home to Real Madrid, and it was the eventual 2-1 victory that made the rest of Europe stand up and take note as the German champions served notice they would be no respecters of Real`s history and standing. Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring late in the first half before Cristiano Ronaldo restored parity. Marcel Schmelzer`s goal shortly after the restart not only gave Dortmund the platform for eventual victory over Madrid but sent them top of the table, a position they were not to relinquish.

The reigning Bundesliga champions cemented their leadership of Group D with a 2-2 draw away to Real Madrid. They would have claimed an historic double over the Spanish side but for a late equaliser, in the 89^th minute, from a Mezut Ozil free kick. Marco Reus opened the scoring for the visitors before an equaliser from the unlikely Pepe got Real back into the game. Alvaro Arbelo then put through his own goal to put Dortmund in the driving seat before Ozil saved Jose Mourinho a few blushes with a point saver.

In week five Dortmund went to former European Cup giants Ajax and swept them aside with a 4-1 win. Goals from Reus, Goetze and two from Lewandowski rendered a late Ajax goal mere consolation and set up a final group game with winless Manchester City. The Premier League champions needed victory for more reasons than just three points as no team had ever gone through a Champions` League qualifying group without securing at least one win. But that was the albatross Mancini`s men were burdened with as Julian Schieber scored the only goal of the game in the second half to secure top spot on Group D and send the German champions through to a last 16 showdown with Shakhtar Donetsk.

Rather prophetically, in the aftermath of Champions` League exit, Roberto Mancini likened City`s situation to that which Dortmund suffered the year previously when they too went out after the group stage. The Italian said that.

“This year I think Dortmund can win the Champions` League.”