The first match after the winter break saw André Schürrle score his first Bundesliga goal for Borussia Dortmund. Naturally, the forward was satisfied as he spoke to BVBtotal! after the final whistle. "Of course it feels good," said Schürrle, who hopes that winning feeling will continue into the second half of the season.

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André, it was a tough battle out there against Bremen's ten men, but in the end you got the win. Tell us your thoughts on the match.
We started very, very brightly. We played at a brutal tempo, got in behind them, carved out opportunities to score and took a 1-0 lead, which is extremely important for us. Then, from around the 20th minute onwards, things weren't quite the same. We didn't have any real control and lost a few too many duels. That's how Bremen managed to create chances. A match like that, in which things swing back and forth, is always difficult for a team like ours which wants control. It was more of the same in the second half: we conceded right at the time when we had a bit more possession. After that it was an open game. Ultimately we managed to get the winner thanks to a great goal by Piszu, which is really important and gives us a good feeling.

You replaced Auba as the spearhead of the attack and scored your first league goal in Black and Yellow. How does that feel?
(grins) Yes, there was a rather long wait leading up to my first Bundesliga goal for BVB. Of course it feels good. The position is a good fit for me, I feel extremely comfortable there. The fact I've finally got the goal gives me a good feeling. I've got my fitness, my mental strength back. All of that does me good.

"Need to work on our self-belief with the ball"

One of the turning points in the game was definitely the red card for Bremen. How did you see it?
For me there were no two ways about it. Drobny came rushing out as if he wanted to kill someone. That kind of thing can end badly, there's no need for that. In my eyes it was a correct decision and a clear red card.

To what extent is this victory a reference point for the upcoming matches?
It's definitely a reference point. We absolutely wanted to start with a victory, especially because we really struggled away from home before the winter break. We wanted to win – no matter how. We managed that, now we need to take that feeling into the next week of training. We need to use that to work on a few things, particularly our self-confidence on the ball. Then we'll be set for a good second half of the season. (djg)

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André Schürrle scores the opening goal after five minutes.

New BVB total! video: Interview with André Schürrle