Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel has hailed Hoffenheim for their strong pressing game after his team survived an almighty scare in Sinsheim on Saturday.
He said:
"They did very well with their press and closing us down. They also put us under pressure time and again when they had the ball."
Dortmund were in action at the Rhine Neckar Arena on Saturday where Die Kraichgauer managed to keep them at bay with a robust, physical game while not letting the BVB get enough time and space on the ball.
The found themselves trailing at the break when Leon Avdullahu broke the deadlock with a stunning long-range strike from outside the box that left Kobel with no chance. The Swiss custodian was then beaten again in the 54th minute, albeit with a bit of deflection as Tim Lemperle's effort came off Waldemar Anton, bamboozling Kobel on its way into the net.
He then talked of his side's inability to carve out clear-cut chances which left them trailing Hoffenheim in the match.
"We struggled to find our way into the game, to create effective combination plays, and to win second balls. To some extent, we were playing catch-up."
Just seven minutes after the hosts made it 2-0, Serhou Guirassy pulled one back for the BVB with Anton driving up the field after winning back possession and then squaring it for the Guinean to finish with a lovely dinked effort from inside the box.
He then turned provider for substitute Fabio Silva with lovely control and pirouette before picking his run as the Portuguese darted his way inside the Hoffenheim area to arrow a powerful low-drive into the bottom corner for 2-2.
Kovac's side though, still needed another goal to win, and that came through debutant Nwaneri, who was signed on loan from Arsenal on deadline day. Following a lovely one-two with Silva, the Englishman drove inside the box and looked to cut back to Guirassy, but it came off Albian Hajdari and bundled over the line as Dortmund led 3-2 in the 86th minute.
Reveling in their epic comeback, Kobel added:
"After [our first goal], it was an open game that swung back and forth a bit, but we were the ones who managed to score. It feels great to have won here."
It was the second time in the Bundesliga this calendar year that Dortmund had gone from trailing 2-0 to winning 3-2, having pulled off a similar feat at home to Hamburger SV back in February.
Add us as a preferred source on Google