“We weren’t penetrating enough” – match reaction

Read all the match reaction after Gladbach lost 3-0 to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga season opener.

Hannes Wolf: It was an evenly-matched game for a while. But, in the end we lacked the strength to finish our chances. We especially didn't make things easy for ourselves in the final third. Still, we tried our best until the end.   

Lars Stindl: We were well-prepared for this game, fielded a strong squad and played well for the first 45 minutes. If you have two chances to score in Dortmund, then you have to take advantage of at least one of them, while also not making any unnecessary mistakes. Unfortunately, we did that too often during the second half and were immediately punished for it. That's how you then lose 3-0 in Dortmund.

Trainer Marco Rose: We were really unlucky to lose. The statistics show that it was a really even match – there weren’t a lot of chances at either end, yet the result looks pretty convincing. At the end of the day, Dortmund were just more effective than us in the penalty area. We weren’t good enough in the opposition box, we weren’t penetrating enough. In the first half, we barely allowed them into our own box, but in a couple of situations where we looked dangerous we ended up having to defend a counterattack. The first goal came from a situation where we weren’t quick enough into the challenge, we didn’t press the space. And there was probably no contact from Ramy in the tackle leading to the penalty. But then later on, there was contact from Mats Hummels on Marcus Thuram. That’s where the game is won and lost at the top level.

Lucien Favre (Trainer Borussia Dortmund): Gladbach played well and it was really difficult for us today. For a long time, the match could have gone either way. It’s always a good feeling to win 3-0. We did some things really well; the third goal, for example, was really well-worked. But we mustn’t forget that Gladbach were missing a lot of players.