Kovač: "The team played with great discipline and organisation"

Borussia Dortmund have struggled against Mainz at the Mewa Arena in recent seasons, but Saturday’s 2-0 win was utterly dominant. 

The Westphalian club’s head coach Niko Kovač felt the game panned out exactly as they had planned before kick-off. 

“It turned out exactly as we wanted: we wanted to get the win here in Mainz. The team played with great discipline and organisation throughout the 90 minutes.

“We scored at the right moments and had a bit of luck with their shot that hit the post, which then led to our first goal.

“Today, I saw a team that finished the game the way you have to do away from home. We didn’t let them have anything – or at least very little.

“So I’m very happy and proud of the lads for getting their just rewards for this performance,” the 53-year-old added. 

Kovač was first to dismiss any murmurings of a title charge, instead keeping the squad’s feet and heads firmly fixed to the ground in terms of expectations.