A brilliant 3-1 victory over Barcelona didn’t secure Borussia Dortmund a spot in the Champions League semifinals, as they were ultimately eliminated following a 0-4 loss in the away leg. However, Dortmund’s head coach, Niko Kovac, expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance.
Kovac highlighted that one of the key takeaways was that his team handed Barcelona their first defeat of the year, and he praised the players for their much-improved display compared to the first leg.
“We all witnessed a great match, especially my team,” Kovac said. “It was a high-intensity game with lots of attacking pressure. Of course, I’m disappointed with the elimination, but we handed Barcelona their first defeat in 2025, and that says a lot. We can be proud of that.”
He continued, “It was nothing like the first match. We were braver, more accurate, showed more courage, and of course, our fans played a key role in the atmosphere, which delighted me greatly. Playing like this against a team like Barcelona is truly worthy of all praise.”
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As a reminder, in this match, Wojciech Szczęsny suffered his first defeat with Barcelona, ending his undefeated streak with the Catalan club.
