Nicolas: I was a little more nervous than usual

In an interview with Moritz Nicolas, the young goalkeeper discusses making his professional debut for the Foals, beating Oberachern 9-1, the atmosphere at the Dreisamstadion and his future aims in sport

Moritz, when did you discover that you would be starting in goal for Borussia for the first time?

Nicolas: One day before the match. There was a discussion going on all week due to Yann Sommer’s thigh problems, but the final decision was taken on Saturday. Our goalkeeping coach Fabian Otte then told me I’d be starting in goal.

How did you react to that?

Nicolas: Of course I was very happy because I had been waiting for this chance for a long time. There was definitely a lot of joy at that moment. I also have to admit that on this occasion I was a little more nervous than usual. I've played the odd game for the clubs I've been on loan with, but to play my first competitive game for Borussia was something special.

There were 13,000 fans at the ground, with many Borussia supporters among them. What did you make of the atmosphere?

Nicolas: The atmosphere was great even from the start of the warm-ups. There were plenty of fans right behind the goal, and it’s always great when so many manage to get down to the stadium. You definitely notice before the game, but when the whistle blows and the game kicks off, you have to ensure you’re fully focused on the game.

In a game against Oberliga opponents, you don’t expect many shots against your goal. How do you then play your game as a goalkeeper?

Nicolas: You’ve always got to concentrate on your task. Overall, we did very well to not give them anything much at all, and while we would have loved to have kept a clean sheet, we ultimately defended very well for what was our first competitive game of the season. The game was primarily settled in their final third where we functioned very well – as is shown by the number of goals we scored.

Even if the visiting supporters were happy, were you personally annoyed by conceding?

Nicolas: You have to admit that the goal was taken very well. The pass was great, the first touch was good, and so was the finish. Of course I was annoyed, I would have preferred to have not conceded, but the joy of making my debut outweighs that.

How satisfied are you with yesterday’s performance, especially in terms of upcoming games?

Nicolas: For us as a team it was a very successful opener, which we want to build on. In the Bundesliga, of course, we have different opponents with different qualities, but it was a very good performance to begin with. Personally, I'm overjoyed with my debut, from which I can take a lot of positive experiences for games to come.

Last season, you were loaned to Victoria Köln, where you played 30 third division games. How important do you see this experience, looking back?

Nicolas: The loan move was extremely important for me. I had to gain match experience because Yann is the clear number one here.  How it will impact this season, I don’t know because I may be loaned out again, so I’m really happy to have been given my first appearance in a competitive fixture.