Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac expressed his delight with his team’s 2-1 comeback victory at Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday. However, he also predicted that they would need to lift their game further to see off Barcelona in the quarterfinals.
The Germans drew 1-1 at home last week and went a goal down five minutes into the reverse fixture in France. However, they fought back with two second-half goals to go through 3-2 on aggregate.
“A great team effort. It was unfortunate that we went a goal down, but the team still dominated the game,” Kovac told DAZN. “Overall, there were a lot of chances for a Champions League away game. That shows that the team has quality and was born for games like this.”
Kovac acknowledged that Lille was a strong team, but emphasized that Barcelona would be an even tougher opponent. “Lille are a strong team on the ball. But Barcelona will top that, by a lot actually,” Kovac said.
To overcome this challenge, Kovac stressed the importance of making the most of possession and defending well. “For us, that means we’ll need to make the most of the phases of possession that we get. When we’re not in possession, we need to defend well. But we have good players too, good speeds, that we can use to hurt our opponents.”
Dortmund’s victory over Lille marked a significant milestone in their Champions League campaign. The team will now face Barcelona in the quarterfinals, with the first leg scheduled for April. Kovac’s side will need to be at their best to overcome the Spanish giants and advance to the semifinals.
