Mature Display in DFB-Pokal Semi-Final Keeps Borussia Dortmund's Season Alive

Borussia Dortmund advanced to their third-straight DFB-Pokal final and fourth in five years on Wednesday, beating Hertha BSC 3-0 in Olympiastadion.

The Black and Yellows' win was never in doubt, as the hosts looked surprisingly flat considering it was the biggest match in their recent history, with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of a cup final at home within their grasp.

That fact wasn't lost on Gonzalo Castro, scorer of the first goal, who said after the game, per the club's official website: "It was a strange match. We thought Hertha would be more aggressive."

It would probably not have made much of a difference, because Dortmund were superb—apart from a short period of time in the second half when they let Hertha's passiveness lull them into a silken slumber.

Marco Reus noted after the match that Dortmund "played with great focus, moved the ball around well and our positional play in both attack and defence was very strong." Head coach Thomas Tuchel, meanwhile, was "very happy with the dominance, the structure and the patience that was in our play tonight."

Tuchel's plan worked to perfection, unlike Hertha coach Pal Dardai's.

The 42-year-old opted for a 3-2-4-1, with Mats Hummels, Sven Bender and Lukasz Piszczek at centre-back. It's no coincidence team captain Hummels, who once again put in a very strong performance, was the only learned central defender in the three-chain. In converted defensive midfielder Bender and right-back Piszczek, Tuchel went with two players with strengths in buildup play.

In front of the back three, Julian Weigl and Castro manned the centre of the pitch. Castro might have scored a beauty but lost possession a few times too many for Tuchel's liking, but Hertha never looked able to pounce on a loose ball for the entire 90 minutes.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

The key to Dortmund's impressive performance, however, was the four-man attacking-midfield line. Marcel Schmelzer and Reus on the left and Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Shinji Kagawa on the right partnered in many situations, creating overloads on the wing and in the half-spaces.

The pair on the right posed problems to Hertha all game long. It seemed like a waste to play Mkhitaryan at wing-back at first blush, but it was actually a fantastic move from Tuchel. Widening the play early and often to complicate Hertha's access on the ball, the Armenian playmaker was heavily involved in almost every attacking move, racking up 110 touches and six shots, per WhoScored.com.

Kagawa had the more attacking role between the two, running in behind the hosts' left side of defence, from where he played a number of dangerous cutback passes, two of which led to goals, as this video shows:

All in all, it was a very mature display from the Black and Yellows, who left no doubt as to who is better-suited to play in the big games. Tuchel lauded his side after the game, per the club's official website: "You could see that a lot of players were used to this situation and that they need this tension and love these moments in order for them to reach their top level."

It's notable that Dortmund pulled off this convincing a win a mere six days after the heartbreaking loss—or, rather, stunning collapse—against Liverpool in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, as Reus alluded to after the match:

Now, German football fans have their dream final, with Dortmund facing Bayern on May 21. They were on a collision course in the cup for the entire campaign, and it's only fitting that the two teams that play in a league of their own in the Bundesliga have one more go at each other before the season draws to a close.

It would only add to the intrigue if Bayern don't manage to beat Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, seeing as that would make the DFB-Pokal final Pep Guardiola's last game in charge of the Bavarian giants.

Although Tuchel rightfully is "not prepared to judge a whole season on whether we win the final or not," the outcome of that game will determine a lot about the perception of his impressive first season in charge at the Westfalenstadion.

Lars Pollmann is a Featured Columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for YellowWallPod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.