Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Brandt speaks on converting ‘pent up Herbert Grönemeyer stress’ into a Champions League victory | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund attacker Julian Brandt offered up his comments on the fact that last night’s home Champions League kickoff was delayed by – of all things – a Herbert Grönemeyer concert. The famous German musician hails from nearby Bochum, one of Dortmund’s “Ruhr Rivals”. Traffic associated with the Grönemeyer concert left the BVB team bus unable to make it to their home venue on time.

Ultimately, the delay didn’t end up adversely affecting the team. Dortmund got their 2025/26 Champions League playoff round off to an excellent start with a 2-0 win over visiting Atalanta Bergamo. BVB striker Serhou Guirassy turned in an excellent performance with a goal and an assist. A makeshift defensive corps that forced youngster Luca Reggiani into the starting XI did well to keep a clean sheet.

BVB veteran Julian Brandt, who donned the captain’s armband on the eve, spoke on the delay caused by the concert afterwards. The 29-year-old clearly remained somewhat annoyed by the fact that the team got stuck in traffic for over an hour, yet also saw the positives in his rather unconventional day at the office. 

Brandt speaks of “pent up Grönemeyer stress”

“It was strange day for us because we arrived at the stadium late,” Brandt told Amazon Prime after the full-time whistle. “It happens when there are concerts next door or a road is closed. We opted for a route that didn’t allow the bus to pass on either the left or the right.

“Everything unfolded quickly [after the late arrival at the stadium],” Brandt nevertheless continued. “I actually think the stress did us good in the end as we remained sharp. We then converted the stress into energy and remained alert.”

GGFN | Peter Weis