Borussia Dortmund ‘deserved to lose’ after performance in Barcelona – Niko Kovac | OneFootball

After Borussia Dortmund’s 4-0 humiliation in Barcelona, Niko Kovac didn’t mince his words.

The Bundesliga side responded well after Raphinha opened the scoring for the Blaugrana midway through the first half but an underwhelming performance after the break leaves Borussia Dortmund needing a miracle in the second leg at the Signal Iduna Park.

“We deserved to lose,” said Kovac. “After the 0-1, we played well for 20 minutes.

“After that, there was a lot of piecemeal play, and we punished ourselves. One set piece and three counter-attacking goals – that’s not good. You can lose the ball, but you must make the right decisions. At this level you have to defend from the back.

“Believe me, every coach prepares everything well, but then it doesn’t translate that way.

“Of course the defeat is a setback.”

Borussia Dortmund captain Emre Can also criticised his team’s performance in Barcelona. Backing Kovac’s system, he questioned “whether everyone is willing to give 100 percent.”

GGFN | Daniel Pinder