Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel was confident that his team will bounce back from their 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup.
Die Borussen were beaten in their own backyard on Sunday as goals from Nathaniel Brown and Michael Olise got the job done for Bundesliga winners.
Fabio Silva reduced the arrears in the 75th minute but it failed to inspire a BVB comeback as Niko Kovac's wait for a first trophy with the club continued.
It was a game of two halves, with Bayern in cruise control of the first but Dortmund making a surge after the break and nearly completing the comeback.
Some exceptional heroics from Kobel on the night prevented this match from being a complete blow-out for Dortmund, as the Swiss international made eight crucial saves.
His most important intervention perhaps, came in the third minute of stoppage-time when Olise hit the BVB on the break and surged forward in search of a third goal, but the Frenchman was unable to make a finish and Kobel closed down the angle.
Speaking to the press after the game, the 28-year-old admitted that while Bayern were menacing going forward, Dortmund had their fare share of moments in the attacking half too.
"Bayern had very good chances throughout the game and could have scored more goals. In the end, it was a shame because we still had chances. There were a lot of good moments here and there; you could see some promising signs."
The match also saw some of their summer signings make their official debut, with Konstantinos Karetsas and Joane Gadou getting their maiden starts whereas Giannis Konstantelias and Joey Veerman came off the bench in the second half.
Kobel acknowledged that while the young guns lacked experience in a game of this magnitude, he was confident of theirs and the whole squad's improvements in the coming days.
"You could also tell that many of the lads are still new and don’t have that much experience yet, which is normal in a situation like this. But I believe we’ll keep getting stronger."
Boasting a new squad full of young and dynamic players, Dortmund certainly have great hopes for the season ahead. And although the curtain-raiser might have ended in a defeat, there were plenty of positive takeaways for the club.
Borussia Dortmund begin the 2026-27 Bundesliga season on Saturday, 29 August against Hamburg at the Westfalonstadion.
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