For national player Julian Brandt it was “crazy” and for coach Edin Terzic “a very frustrating day”. The memorable dramaturgy in the 2:3 (2:1) against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim with an inexplicable loss of control increased Dortmund’s already great anger.
The fact that the team turned the game around after falling behind early on only to lose in the end prompted Brandt to speak clearly. “It was an absolutely pointless game and totally unnecessary. We brought an opponent back to life with sloppy balls. In the end there was chaos.” Visibly crestfallen, the national soccer player added: “I’m tired of defeats and draws. We have to win as quickly as possible.”
Terzic: “Another unnecessary defeat”
To the chagrin of everyone involved, BVB was unable to take advantage of the opportunity in the fight for the Champions League places and was able to capitalize on the defeat of pursuers Leipzig in Munich (1:2) and the draw of third-placed Bundesliga side Stuttgart against Cologne (1:2). 1) do not capitalize. “This is very disappointing. We wanted to take an important step forward in order to take fourth place even more clearly into our hands,” commented Terzic and complained about “another unnecessary defeat”. “It was completely our own fault because it gave the opponent the feeling that something was going on here.”
Although it was his team’s first defeat of the year, even the loyal fans in the south stand reacted with whistles. The compulsory walk in front of the Yellow Wall was correspondingly difficult for the remorseful professionals. Brandt expressed understanding for the displeasure of most fans: “Based on how the game was going, I can understand the whistles.”
The team seemed to be on the right track after recent mixed performances in Wolfsburg (1:1) and Eindhoven (1:1). Despite the early deficit due to the goal from Ihlas Bebou (2nd), who took advantage of a major bad pass from Emre Can, who had been in poor form for weeks, Donyell Malen (21st) and Nico Schlotterbeck (25th) took the lead.
Annoyance about poor game structure
But the unquestionable performance in the second half with Maximilian Beier’s double strike (61st/64th) deprived BVB of the chance to increase the gap to fifth-placed Leipzig to four points. “Incredible! Despite being behind early on, we showed a great reaction. And then we just stopped in the second half instead of just continuing,” complained goalkeeper Alexander Meyer.
Brandt referred to the poor build-up of the game: “We have a difficult time deciding when we want to play and when it makes sense to take the long ball. That’s what annoys me the most, it just annoys me and is difficult to accept.”
The fact that referee Marco Fritz did not rate a handball by Florian Grillitsch as worthy of a penalty after Marcel Sabitzer shot in the 83rd minute caused additional frustration, but did not hide the problems. After the third home defeat at the latest, it is clear to everyone: Given the demanding remaining program from mid-March, the fight for the primary goal of the season, Champions League qualification, will be a difficult undertaking. Terzic tried to exude confidence: “We know that it was an important matchday. But we also know that there are eleven more matchdays waiting for us.”
