Our Defeat To Barcelona Well Deserved- Dortmund Coach
Dortmund’s Niko Kovac was disappointed with his team’s performance in the Champions League encounter against Barcelona.
Barcelona defeated Dortmund thanks to a brace from Robert Lewandoski, Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal to put a foot in the semi-finals.
The Blaugrana are the top scorers in the competition with 36 goals.
Raphinha scored one goal and recorded two assists in the encounter to take his tally to 12 goals, and seven assists in the competition.
He said, “It was a deserved defeat (but) we could have got a goal, as we all know the return leg will be very difficult.
“I am optimistic but I have to be a realist… it was a very big result, our chances of going through are minimal.
“We know it will be difficult but we have to have a spark of hope, because without that spark it will be impossible.”
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has warned their rivals in the Champions League that the team are still looking to improve despite their impressive 4-0 win over Dortmund.
Flick revealed that despite the dominant win, there is room for improvement ahead of the second leg.
He said, “I want to keep improving, today we saw some points we can improve on.
“We will analyse this game and I will tell the players they did very well, but there are still things to improve.
“I’m very happy with the result today but it’s just the first step.”
Flick also highlighted the importance of the trio of Raphinha, Robert Lewandoski, and Lamine Yamal.
He said, “All three are very important. But it’s not just their goals but also the way we defend. We played a great game all round. Seeing how the players come off the bench, and influence the game, and quickly catch onto the pace, that’s so good.
“No, we’re not qualified yet. You never know what’s going to happen. Football is a crazy sport. We have to play in Dortmund like we did today. They’re a very good team, but we have to go there and do what we know how to do and make as few mistakes as possible.
“I really appreciate the effort my players put in—they’re always striving for more. It’s fantastic. Enjoying the game is part of it all, just like pressing the opponent, creating chances, defending well… my players enjoy playing football, training, being together, and that’s key to being able to play matches like that.”
Robert Lewandoski made Champions League history in the encounter after scoring ten goals in the competition for Barcelona.
He became the first player in the Champions League history to score 10 goals in a single season for three different teams: Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona.
Our Defeat To Barcelona Well Deserved- Dortmund Coach is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
