Thomas Delaney looking forward to the winter break after gruelling year

Thomas Delaney was pleased with the commitment Borussia Dortmund showed in the win over Eintracht Braunschweig, but is now looking forward to a well-earned short winter break.

Borussia Dortmund ended the year with a hard-earned 2-0 win over Eintracht Braunschweig in the second round of the DFB Pokal. Goals from Mats Hummels and Jadon Sancho helped them secure their place in the round of 16. And Thomas Delaney felt that Dortmund did really well to handle the problems posed to them by Braunschweig.

"“We had a few problems in the first half, as we gave the ball away too easily,” Delaney said. “We should have scored more goals than we did. They made life difficult for us. They sat deep and posed a threat when they went forward. It also wasn’t easy for us playing in our last game of the year. But I think we coped well and showed a lot of commitment.”"

The Dane also spoke about the upcoming winter break, and said that he is looking forward to a short pause after what has been a gruelling year due to the compressed schedule.

"“It’s been an extraordinary year for everyone. A lot of players have seen very little of their families over the past nine months. I’m looking forward to a short pause, it’s been a long year.”"

Borussia Dortmund played a total of ten matches across three competitions over the last month. They will now get a short break before returning to training after Christmas. The Black and Yellows are due to host Wolfsburg in their first game of the new year on January 03.

Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic was pleased to end the year on a positive note with a win over Eintracht Braunschweig.

"“We knew it would be difficult and could have made things easier. But the result is right, we’ll take that and we’re happy that we can end the year on such a positive note.”"

Terzic was also asked about Borussia Dortmund’s goals for the rest of the season, but said that he does not want to look too far ahead just yet.

"“We still have a long way to go. Just ten days ago, that wasn’t an issue at all. If I think about what’s going to happen in May or June now, it doesn’t take me anywhere. We have taken a good first step. Now we have to plan the next steps and look at what we want to change as quickly as possible.”"

Borussia Dortmund are in fifth place in the Bundesliga standings going into the winter break. They have also qualified for the UEFA Champions League round of 16, where they will face Spanish side Sevilla. Der BVB will find out their DFB Pokal round of 16 opponents on January 03.