Post-Match Report
Team make pledge: Five games, five wins if possible!
Spain's media were full of admiration for Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday morning. After losing the first leg by a 4-0 scoreline, the Black & Yellows not only inflicted a first defeat on FC Barcelona, who were unbeaten in the competition up until that point, but also pushed them "to the edge of the abyss". According to Marca: "The Germans stuck to the script and were ready to spread fear and terror. And they did that well." AS said: "Dortmund put in a tremendous performance from the first minute of the match."
"I think that they were a bit unsure of themselves at times, that's how it felt," said sporting director Sebastian Kehl following the 3-1 victory over the opposition in the return fixture, adding: "We can be very proud of our performance." That has to be the benchmark for the final five league games of the season. That was a point that was emphasised not only by Niklas Süle, but also by head coach Niko Kovac.
If you factor out the first leg and the first period in Leipzig, the trajectory and the results are clearly moving in the right direction. 2-1 in Lille, 3-1 at home to Mainz, 4-1 in Freiburg, 2-2 in Munich, 3-1 at home to Barcelona. "We played a really good game against Bayern Munich, we played a really good game today," emphasised Kehl on Tuesday evening. "If we play with this intensity, in this way, then we will win many more matches. We also want to be represented on the international stage next year too. And for that to happen, we absolutely have to win against Gladbach on Sunday."
The team is determined to make that happen. "I always take a positive approach to things," said Niklas Süle, looking ahead: "We have five matches, five difficult matches. But if we win all five, there is a high probability that we'll still be playing in the Champions League next year. That has to be the objective with our squad!"
Boris Rupert