As the injured Germany internationals Marco Reus, André Schürrle and Erik Durm began to head from the stands to the changing rooms three minutes ahead of the final whistle, you could see the satisfaction in their eyes. They weren't just happy with Borussia Dortmund's 3-1 victory over SC Freiburg on Bundesliga matchday 5, they also relished Mario Götze’s successful home debut.
Their Germany team-mate and friend made his Signal Iduna Park comeback following an absence of 1,248 days. The former FC Bayern attacker displayed great passing accuracy and helped set up the opening goal. When Götze was giving a TV interview shortly after the game, you could still hear the home fans loudly toasting the 24-year-old in the background. The World Cup winner was unable to hide a smile.
In an interview with DFB.de, the 58-time Germany international talked about his emotional return, his improving form at BVB and their upcoming Champions League clash with Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Question: Mr. Götze, how did your eagerly anticipated home debut feel?
Mario Götze: Firstly, it was a positive experience because we secured the three points, which was the most important thing. Of course it was also a special game for me personally, because beforehand I often thought about what the fans’ reaction would be like.
Question: What did you make of the reception?
Götze: It was very emotional for me, because I didn't know what to expect. It was a nice feeling to experience the atmosphere, and it was a great moment for me. I have to say that I'm very relieved and just really happy right now how with everything turned out - the three points, a victory, the applause I received when I was brought off, the path that we are on and everything else that's going on.
Question: You're a seasoned professional, but it was still an unusual situation for you, which you had a lot of respect for?
Götze: (smiles) I think respect is the correct word to describe it. I had a lot of respect for this evening. That's why I'm even happier now.
Question: How much fun did you have on the pitch?
Götze: Of course it was fun, but it was also hard work. In one or two situations we were too hectic in our game. But nonetheless we deserved to get the three points in the end.
Question: What makes Dortmund so strong at the moment?
Götze: We have a good mix. Everyone is working for the same goal and wants to work together to get there. You can see that on and off the pitch, in the way we train and how we approach our tasks. We are on the right path but know that it's still a long, long way.
Question: What do you expect from Tuesday's encounter with Real Madrid?
Götze: It's a new challenge for us and a different competition. Obviously they are very special opponents and we know that, but we secured three points in Warsaw and now we are playing at home. We have a lot of ambitions for the Champions League. Therefore it would be wise to now just be happy with the three points against Freiburg and the fact that we improved as the game went on. Now we need to recover well and then look forward to the game on Tuesday.
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As the injured Germany internationals Marco Reus, André Schürrle and Erik Durm began to head from the stands to the changing rooms three minutes ahead of the final whistle, you could see the satisfaction in their eyes. They weren't just happy with Borussia Dortmund's 3-1 victory over SC Freiburg on Bundesliga matchday 5, they also relished Mario Götze’s successful home debut.
Their Germany team-mate and friend made his Signal Iduna Park comeback following an absence of 1,248 days. The former FC Bayern attacker displayed great passing accuracy and helped set up the opening goal. When Götze was giving a TV interview shortly after the game, you could still hear the home fans loudly toasting the 24-year-old in the background. The World Cup winner was unable to hide a smile.
In an interview with DFB.de, the 58-time Germany international talked about his emotional return, his improving form at BVB and their upcoming Champions League clash with Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Question: Mr. Götze, how did your eagerly anticipated home debut feel?
Mario Götze: Firstly, it was a positive experience because we secured the three points, which was the most important thing. Of course it was also a special game for me personally, because beforehand I often thought about what the fans’ reaction would be like.
Question: What did you make of the reception?
Götze: It was very emotional for me, because I didn't know what to expect. It was a nice feeling to experience the atmosphere, and it was a great moment for me. I have to say that I'm very relieved and just really happy right now how with everything turned out - the three points, a victory, the applause I received when I was brought off, the path that we are on and everything else that's going on.
Question: You're a seasoned professional, but it was still an unusual situation for you, which you had a lot of respect for?
Götze: (smiles) I think respect is the correct word to describe it. I had a lot of respect for this evening. That's why I'm even happier now.
Question: How much fun did you have on the pitch?
Götze: Of course it was fun, but it was also hard work. In one or two situations we were too hectic in our game. But nonetheless we deserved to get the three points in the end.
Question: What makes Dortmund so strong at the moment?
Götze: We have a good mix. Everyone is working for the same goal and wants to work together to get there. You can see that on and off the pitch, in the way we train and how we approach our tasks. We are on the right path but know that it's still a long, long way.
Question: What do you expect from Tuesday's encounter with Real Madrid?
Götze: It's a new challenge for us and a different competition. Obviously they are very special opponents and we know that, but we secured three points in Warsaw and now we are playing at home. We have a lot of ambitions for the Champions League. Therefore it would be wise to now just be happy with the three points against Freiburg and the fact that we improved as the game went on. Now we need to recover well and then look forward to the game on Tuesday.
