Post-Match Report
Commitment, fight, passion: BVB record important win
There were several points that Nuri Sahin addressed and wanted to improve when he took over the reins. One of them was the home record. Dropping points in seven home games last season was a source of annoyance (and not only to him), and it happened after a seven-year period in which BVB had been the best home team of the season three times and had consistently been among the best four. “In this stadium, you always have the feeling that anything can happen. After the first goal, the hope came back. And after that, it was simply awesome,” said Felix Nmecha.
The successful comeback was one half of the story in the 85th “Little Derby” between the two Ruhr rivals. The sixth and seventh goals conceded in the space of a week were the other. “No idea how that could happen. We wanted to start the match very well and suddenly we were 2-0 down,” explained Emre Can, who spoke about the coach’s team talk in the changing rooms, saying: "And after that we were all together as a team”. Among other things, Sahin referred to the power that the stadium can unleash – and the fact that they were playing towards the South Stand, the largest standing tribune in Europe, in the second period. “At half-time, we said to ourselves: We will win the match. We came out believing that and 100% deserved to win in the end. It was not all good, but we have three points.”
Julian Brandt felt “reminded of the Gladbach match last season. Also rainy, also 2-0 down” What was important was to go in at half-time with the score at 2-1 and to be able to regroup. The fact the goal was pulled back at all can be attributed to a key moment of the match. After a one-two, Bochum’s Myron Boadu was clean through on the halfway line in the 33rd minute and sprinted towards Gregor Kobel’s goal with the ball at his feet. But his shot from a central position around 15 metres out flew narrowly wide of the left upright. “We got lucky with the potential goal for 3-0,” admitted Brandt.
The team had made a good start to the match but conceded two early goals that were far too easy to score. They had set their sights so high following the 5-1 defeat by Stuttgart too. “We all wanted to show a reaction,” explained Nmecha, with Can adding honestly: “We also envisaged everything going very differently. We wanted to play better football, we didn't want to concede any goals. If we can learn from it, that’s good.”
The possible learning effect will already be put to the test in three days. Then they will be up against Celtic, who put five goals past Slovan Bratislava on the first matchday, in the UEFA Champions League. But the Black & Yellows will have home advantage and 77,000 of the 81,000 spectators at an already sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA PARK behind them. BVB are unbeaten in 11 home games in this competition.
Boris Rupert
Match: Great spirit in the "Little Derby"