World Cup winner Mats Hummels scored a crucial goal for Borussia Dortmund in their Europa League clash with Liverpool last night. In an interview with DFB.de, the 27-year-old BVB captain discussed the situation going into the second leg on Thursday (21:05 CEST).
Question: Mr. Hummels, it was an intensive game. What’s your verdict?
Mats Hummels: The result was fair, as we weren’t able to hit top gear at any point throughout the match. We are making it difficult for ourselves at the moment, as we’re not really dominating from the beginning and creating enough chances throughout. We weren’t really on it, particularly going forward. If we are aware of where we can improve, then there’s every chance we will.
Question: You were in control up until the first goal. Did it rock the boat somewhat?
Hummels: I don’t know whether we were really rocked. We were in control and there were two or three situations where we could, perhaps should, have scored. We are used to creating a lot more chances in a game, and so in that sense we did too little against Liverpool.
Question: At least you scored once. How did the goal come from your point of view?
Hummels: It was the typical post-corner situation. An excellent cross, and the timing was all good. I was also up against the right person, as he was about a head shorter than me. In those sort of moments, all you really have to do is get the ball on target - and luckily I managed to do so. Following the goal, we allowed Liverpool to have a good phase of about three minutes, which meant we weren’t able to really put the pressure on. Ultimately we had control of the game later on, but didn’t create enough good goal-scoring opportunities in and around their box.
Question: Roman Weidenfeller saved your side numerous times. How important was he last night?
World Cup winner Mats Hummels scored a crucial goal for Borussia Dortmund in their Europa League clash with Liverpool last night. In an interview with DFB.de, the 27-year-old BVB captain discussed the situation going into the second leg on Thursday (21:05 CEST).
Question: Mr. Hummels, it was an intensive game. What’s your verdict?
Mats Hummels: The result was fair, as we weren’t able to hit top gear at any point throughout the match. We are making it difficult for ourselves at the moment, as we’re not really dominating from the beginning and creating enough chances throughout. We weren’t really on it, particularly going forward. If we are aware of where we can improve, then there’s every chance we will.
Question: You were in control up until the first goal. Did it rock the boat somewhat?
Hummels: I don’t know whether we were really rocked. We were in control and there were two or three situations where we could, perhaps should, have scored. We are used to creating a lot more chances in a game, and so in that sense we did too little against Liverpool.
Question: At least you scored once. How did the goal come from your point of view?
Hummels: It was the typical post-corner situation. An excellent cross, and the timing was all good. I was also up against the right person, as he was about a head shorter than me. In those sort of moments, all you really have to do is get the ball on target - and luckily I managed to do so. Following the goal, we allowed Liverpool to have a good phase of about three minutes, which meant we weren’t able to really put the pressure on. Ultimately we had control of the game later on, but didn’t create enough good goal-scoring opportunities in and around their box.
Question: Roman Weidenfeller saved your side numerous times. How important was he last night?
Hummels: Roman put in an excellent performance. Just before the break the one-on-one with Origi - a huge save. And he denied Coutinho well from distance. It really was a top performance.
Question: Did you enjoy Jürgen Klopp’s return?
Hummels: I only saw him briefly after the final whistle. At the end of the day it’s a football match and everyone had a job to do. Despite that it was a bit weird seeing him in our stadium but on the other side. Overall it was nice to see him back.
Question: What does this result mean going into the second leg?
Hummels: Difficult to say really. It’s not a disaster, there’s still everything to play for. A 2-2 draw would have been more difficult for us, but Liverpool showed that they have real quality. We knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I think we have a very good chance of progressing. We know our quality, and if we can show it on the pitch then we will book our place in the semi-final.
