Frankfurt cup reactions: "Matches like this are brilliant fun" | OneFootball

At the end of an intense and, to some extent, dramatic cup evening, Borussia Dortmund emerged as the lucky winner against Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday. After neither side managed to secure victory in regular time nor in extra time, the penalty shootout decided in favor of BVB, with goalkeeper Gregor Kobel as the hero.

Kobel, who saved the decisive penalty from Fares Chaibi, primarily gave credit to his teammates who converted their penalties: “The penalty takers did an extremely good job. When there’s extra pressure after 120 minutes, it’s not easy to take a shot. They were all really well placed.”

The Swiss goalkeeper also emphasized that this was certainly not an ordinary second-round match: “It was the second round of the cup, but it felt like more. A game like this is just so much fun,” said Kobel, who sees a special dynamic overall: “We’ve really built something up, also in terms of the atmosphere. A win like this, and the one a few days ago against Cologne, does us a lot of good— the whole team, the mood, the energy.”

Julian Brandt was also very happy, although the midfielder made no secret of the fact that there was still room for improvement in terms of play: “Nevertheless, we’re assessing the match correctly. No one will go home and say we played the stars from the sky today; it was more of a battle.”

Kovac empathizes with Eintracht

Coach Niko Kovac saw it similarly, emphasizing both the opponent’s good performance and the element of luck, which his team also earned: “We’re happy to have advanced, but I also feel for Eintracht because I know how hard it feels when you’re knocked out. It was so tough for us because Eintracht played well. With the stadium and their fans, they had an advantage that they used well. In the cup, you don’t have to celebrate, you just have to advance and give everything. The boys did that from the first to the 120th minute. In the end, it’s roulette.”

Managing director Lars Ricken, meanwhile, was not only pleased about advancing, but also expects this to lead to further positive development: “Wins like this do something to the team, when you see how they celebrate together, when you see what’s happening in the locker room right now. That gives us momentum. Games like this can be the spark for the coming weeks.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.