Niko Kovač: ‘We lacked sharpness and were rightly eliminated’ | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovač admitted his side paid the price for a slow start, defensive mistakes and a lack of physical edge after their dramatic Champions League exit against Atalanta in Bergamo.

Dortmund travelled to Italy with a 2–0 advantage from the first leg, but collapsed under pressure as Atalanta stormed back to win 4–1 on the night and 4–3 on aggregate, sealing qualification with a last-gasp penalty.

Kovač identified the opening minutes as decisive, with Atalanta wiping out Dortmund’s aggregate lead almost immediately and seizing control of the tie.

“The game started exactly how we didn’t want,” he said. What we managed to do in the home leg, Atalanta managed today as well, scoring early. That naturally gave my team no sense of security.”

Although die Borussen briefly found their rhythm midway through the first half, the second Atalanta goal just before the interval proved a major psychological blow.

“After 25 minutes, we found our way into the game a little better and then had the chance ourselves, through Julian Brandt, to maybe score a goal. Then you concede the goal before half-time, and everything is reset to zero.”

While the Croatian felt the second half developed into an open contest, he was clear that Dortmund’s defensive errors were decisive. “In the Champions League you can’t concede four goals,” he pointed out, ” because if you concede four goals, it becomes difficult to reach the next round.”

The late penalty that sealed Dortmund’s fate, he added, reflected a broader pattern across both legs: “If you look at both games, I think with today’s performance we didn’t deserve to go through.”

Kovač repeatedly returned to the issue of sharpness and aggression, something he had highlighted before the match but felt was missing on the night.

“In this small stadium, in this very good atmosphere, you have to stand up to it. You have to accept the duels, you have to fight the duels, you have to be sharp, you have to be aggressive. The others were that much more than we were.”

For the Dortmund coach, it was not a question of ability but of mentality and physical presence. “Football is ultimately a contact sport, and you have to be ready to go beyond the point,” he stated. “That we can play good football, we’ve already proven. But first and foremost, it’s about physicality, and we didn’t show that.”

Asked about the decisive penalty, Kovač avoided controversy and accepted the referee’s decision, instead pointing to Dortmund’s failure to deal with the situation earlier.

“He gave it. And we have to live with that. We would have had to clear the ball better, then we wouldn’t even be talking about this situation.”

He closed by acknowledging that Dortmund’s Champions League campaign was ultimately undermined by defensive fragility: “We’ve scored many goals, which is good. But we’ve definitely conceded far too many to get through this phase and reach the round of 16.”

After praising his side’s maturity following the first leg, Kovač was left to reflect on a painful reversal and a reminder that at the Champions League level, lapses in intensity and concentration are punished ruthlessly.