"Even if we had scored three goals, we would still have been talking about not making good use of our chances. That meant the game was open right until the end," said Edin Terzic. His team created ten clear-cut chances at the Olympiastadion, hit the woodwork twice, and were denied by four outstanding saves from Hertha's keeper Christensen.

Only one of BVB's 24 shots on goal found its way into the back of the net - and this was because the team had listened carefully to their coaches' advice in build-up and adjusted their style of play. "We played as many crosses today as in the other three Bundesliga games combined," Terzic noted: "That was a focal point in training." Getting more balls to Modeste was the objective. "It's new for us to have this target man in the box and it will take time for us to get used to having this weapon. We are sure it will be the first of many goals for Tony."

First Modeste was denied by Christensen, then he fired a chance left of the target - and then he scored "his" goal at the third attempt, in what was a typical Modeste goal. Cross, header, goal. "When the striker gets a lot of service, it's easy," said the new signing from Köln. Sporting director Sebastian Kehl had made a strong statement in support of Modeste in the days before the match: "There was a lot of discussion about Tony. I don't think that's right. After all, he has only been with us for a fortnight. It's a change for him."

As in the season opener against Leverkusen, one goal was enough to win. "If we stand together, defend as a unit and everyone keeps a clear head, then we can keep a clean sheet," stressed Jude Bellingham, adding: "We all did our job and got the three points."

''Salih is a player who offers something else''

Salih Özcan was outstanding in his competitive debut in Black & Yellow. He had to wait a long time for this moment: "The injury forced me to take a break, but as the saying goes, the season is a marathon, not a sprint." Only Julian Brandt, Marco Reus and Jude Bellingham covered more ground on Saturday than the hard-worker from Cologne. "He produced an outstanding performance because he did what he does best," said Terzic, adding: "We have a lot of creativity and pace in the squad. But Salih is a player who offers something other than attractive football. He's there to cover for his teammates, so that they can have a platform to shine. He was the key reason why we didn't give away much in the centre of the park today. The number of balls he won for us was at least as important as the goal he set up."

Another factor was the support from the stands. With the exception of the east curve, there were Black & Yellow colours everywhere in the Olympiastadion. "They are some of the best fans in Europe," said Jude Bellingham, going on to add: "It's such a privilege to play for them: home, away, in Europe or today in Berlin. It's almost funny how many people come every time and how much noise they make. I missed three chances and I got so much support. They respect the fact that we are putting up a fight. It's brilliant!"

Now the team have two home games to look forward to; with the support of 81,365 fans in SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. First next Friday against Hoffenheim, then four days later in the first Champions League match of the season.
Boris Rupert