Celebrated, fought, defeated - high praise for Borussia after Bayern match | OneFootball

“In terms of results, it wasn’t a great four days. The defeat against Atalanta in particular hurts a lot, of course,” said managing director Lars Ricken on ZDF late on Saturday evening, adding: “I think today we were determined to show everything we didn’t show in Bergamo. The team fought brilliantly and gave it their all. That’s what our fans want to see. The way the team performed was top notch.”

Nico Schlotterbeck headed BVB into a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute after a free kick from Daniel Svensson, with BVB fighting hard from the first minute but outplayed until then. By the start of the second half at the latest, Borussia had taken control of the game, making it more balanced and launching well-timed attacks. But it was during this phase that Munich turned the game around. Harry Kane scored in the 54th minute to make it 1-1, and a quarter of an hour later he converted a highly controversial penalty to make it 2-1. “It was a big game this season, away against such a strong team,” said Munich’s double goalscorer about Dortmund’s performance. And Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany said appreciatively: “You could sense that Dortmund were determined to take their chance. Even after the 2-2, they continued to push forward, they were desperate to win.”

Svensson scored a spectacular goal in the 83rd minute to make it 2-2, turning SIGNAL IDUNA PARK into a madhouse. Borussia played for the win – but in the end, it was Bayern who celebrated. When Joshua Kimmich artistically converted a headed clearance from Jobe Bellingham (no blame!) in the 87th minute to make it 3-2, the entire Bayern bench jumped up. A sign of how close this game was – and how important it was (and is) for everyone involved.

“We saw a really good Clasico today; it was great publicity for German football, not only in Germany but also beyond,” said Niko Kovac: “We deserved a point. After being knocked out by Atalanta, we put in a great performance today.” The penalty was, of course, also a topic of discussion at the press conference. Kovac: “Sven Jablonski’s refereeing was very good. He let the game flow. There was slight contact for the penalty. Was that contact enough to go down? He blew the whistle, so I accept it. If it had been the other way around, I would have accepted it too.”

There are still ten games to go. “With 52 points, we’re still a long way from qualifying for the Champions League. That’s why we’ll keep pushing until the end,” announced Lars Ricken. Borussia Dortmund are six points ahead of the third-placed team, which will be either TSG Hoffenheim or VfB Stuttgart at the end of this matchday. BVB still have to play both teams away from home. “Nothing will be handed to us on a plate,” said Ricken: “We’ve worked hard to get this far, and now we have to hold on to it and hopefully be rewarded with the place at the end.” Niko Kovac also points out that “the buffer behind us isn’t that big now. Thank God not too much happened today. Tomorrow, there are still two teams who could catch up with us. We still have some very difficult tasks ahead of us.”

And there is still a diagnosis to wait for. “I spoke to Emre, and he’s not feeling positive,” said Kovac about his injured captain Emre Can, who slipped on the artificial turf directly adjacent to the pitch after being pushed. “Maybe something happened there, and he just carried on regardless. That shows his strength of character, his personality.”

While the loss of a key player looms, the next youngster has come forward. Samuele Inacio made his debut at the age of 17 years, ten months and 26 days, making him one of the 20 youngest BVB players ever. “I was satisfied with his debut,” said Kovac, adding appreciatively, “against FC Bayern Munich: Just imagine that. Not bad at all…”Boris Rupert