Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel admitted that his side were not up to scratch in the opening stanza of their late 2-0 win over VfB Stuttgart.
Substitutes Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt came off the bench to struck apiece in stoppage-time and hand their side all three points from a tough clash.
However, it was heading towards another unfavorable result for Niko Kovac's side at the MHP Arena as they struggled to carve out clear-cut chances.
It was only after the Croatian manager made a few tweaks to his side that Dortmund appeared breathe new life into their game and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck.
Kobel, who looked solid in goal and registered another clean sheet, lamented his side's sloppy play on the ball during the early exchanges in his post-match comments.
""In the first half, we weren’t good on the ball. The positive thing was that it was 0–0. But in the second half, it was a more evenly matched game. They had a lot of possession, but they didn’t really create any clear chances either."said the Swiss custodian
With the game heading into stoppage-time, Dortmund appeared increasingly likely to drop points against Stuttgart for the eighth game in a row, but just then their substitutes saved the blushes.
Adeyemi broke the deadlock in the 94th minute after controlling a poor clearance before Brandt smashed one in from a tight angle to consolidate their victory.
Heaping praise on their late surge, Kobel also acknowledged their stroic defense throughout the season being the pillar of their strong campaign in the Bundesliga this season.
""And in the end, we had two superb chances in front of goal and scored two top-class goals. Throughout the season, it’s our defensive performance that carries us, that defines us, that forms the foundation of the whole team.""added Kobel
Speaking on the euphoria of snatching a late win in a vital game like this, Kobel further added:
""And those two goals did us a world of good in the end. The emotions were there for us. It’s obviously great fun when you win a game like that away from home in stoppage time.""said Kobel
With that win, Dortmund moved 11 points clear of RB Leipzig and VfB Stuttgart on the Bundesliga table and consolidated their position in second place.
They next play Bayer Leverkusen at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday, 11 April.