Brandt and Kovač "happy with the result" against Athletic Club

A rather happy Julian Brandt, interviewed by DAZN, expressed his joy regarding Borussia Dortmund’s performance in their 4-1 win over Athletic Club tonight. 

“We’re happy with the result in the end. We played very solidly in the first half, were very strong at the back, and went into the break with a 1-0 lead.

“I think we can pick up the pace at home, especially in the first half. The second half was a bit chaotic. We were lucky when it looked like it was 2-2.

“During that phase, we allowed things to get tense. In the end, we scored two more goals to clinch the win,” said the 29-year-old, who chipped in with BVB’s fourth goal of the game.

Head coach Niko Kovač conceded that his side were “a bit too passive” at times in the second-half but got the stroke of good fortune when Serhou Guirassy’s deflection made it 3-1. 

“You need that luck in the Champions League, too. We have a really good team across the board, and you need that when you have to play every third day,” he said. 

Kovač also explained his decision to bench Nico Schlotterbeck, stating “the risk of him picking up a muscular injury was too great after two 90-minute games” since his long layoff.