Despite a strong performance, particularly in the first half, Borussia suffered a 3-0 defeat that included some questionable penalty decisions and was probably too harsh. Christoph Kramer spoke to the media after the loss in Dortmund.
Christoph, you’ve started the season with a 3-0 defeat in Dortmund. That sounds like a comprehensive loss at first glance. How do you think the first league game went?
Kramer: It always looks bad when you lose 3-0. The game just peters out towards the end. But the match was actually highly competitive for long periods. We had two huge chances at the start of the game that we weren’t able to use. Then we conceded through a bit of a scramble in the box – it wasn’t a clear chance in my opinion. After that, Dortmund scored twice through two counter attacks – we were in a really promising position before the first and should have scored, and then the second came from a corner. It feels like a worse defeat than it actually was in the end. But I do think that we can take some positives from the game.
What made the difference in your opinion?
Kramer: It was all down to being clinical. We had our own chances in the first half that we didn’t take. I don’t think you can blame us for too much. In all honesty, we’ve lost four times in a row now against Dortmund and it’s the fourth time that we feel we could’ve, or should’ve, taken something from the game. The little things didn’t go for us.
Was it perhaps decisive that Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea, the best forwards of last season, aren’t yet fully fit?
Kramer: Dortmund didn’t have many more shots than us, and of course we would’ve benefitted from a real presence up front. We lacked that. Nonetheless, we had a really strong side on the pitch and had some good passages of play going forward in the first half. We kept getting in and behind the Dortmund defence. It’s a shame that we didn’t manage to get the first goal and take the lead.
After the referee had another look, Dortmund were awarded a penalty. Later in the game, Mats Hummels brought Marcus Thuram down, but the tackle wasn’t checked. What do you make of that?
Kramer: In my opinion, that was also a penalty, but that’s probably because I play for Borussia. When Marcus Thuram went down, the referee could definitely have looked at the incident again. Unfortunately he didn’t, and it kind of sums up the evening. We don’t want to dwell on that though, these things happen in football.
How did it feel playing in front of fans again?
Kramer: Super. Everyone knows that it’s much more fun when fans are in the stadium. Now I’m looking forward to playing in front of our own fans at home even more. It’s a good thing for football that fans are back in the stadium. And it makes it feel more like football again for the players.
