Sven Bender called the 1-0 defeat to Hannover 96 “a bitter pill to swallow”. BVB didn’t deserve to lose given their dominance of the game and their 10-5 advantage in chances, 17-6 edge in shots and the 14 corners they won. The only thing they lacked was a goal.

Jürgen Klopp (Borussia Dortmund’s coach): “We were once again were consistent enough in the decisive moments. But we will keep fighting. We had four or five great chances, but made nothing ​​of it. We need to reward ourselves, but we're not doing that. We turned all the screws and still we're left empty-handed. We have to get out of this situation on our own.”

Tayfun Korkut (Hannover 96’s coach):  “It was a very tough match against a top side. We are in a phase where things are not going well. I must pay a great compliment to my team because if you cannot compete football-wise, then you must fight. And you also need some luck.”

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Disappointed skipper: Mats Hummels.

Mats Hummels: “It was the same old story. We had seven, eight good chances to go in front but didn’t take them. We then conceded a goal from a free-kick which wasn’t one in my opinion. Up to that point, Hannover hadn’t had many shots on goal. We then failed to create any incisive openings. We must be jinxed. Our opponents are very efficient, and we are not. It’s very tough at the moment.”

Marco Reus: “We've got to keep a cool head and focus on our strengths.”

Sven Bender: “It’s a bitter pill to swallow.  We have ended up empty-handed again and we really don’t know why. We tried a lot and had a good game, even if we didn’t play perfectly. But it was not enough. The last few minutes surely can’t have been great to watch because we lost focus, but we’ve got to keep looking forward.”

Ron-Robert Zieler (96’s goalkeeper): “I’ve played here in Dortmund many times but never managed to keep a clean sheet. I was kept really busy today. The team had to work very hard for this win.”