“It got exciting again at the end” | OneFootball

Niko Kovac (on DAZN): “Courtois is a world-class goalkeeper. It wouldn’t have been entirely fair if we’d made it 3-3. If you look at the first half, Real were much better. We were too passive, too self-destructive, and didn’t win enough tackles. I know that the weather isn’t ideal for tackling, but we still did better in the second half. We changed our tactics a bit, and that made a big difference. The final phase was a real treat. All in all, we can leave with our heads held high. We represented BVB and Germany with honour.”

Julian Brandt (on DAZN): “It got exciting again at the end. We were very close to taking it to extra time. In the first half, we played slow and ponderous football. The two goals we conceded didn’t help the situation, so we were chasing the game a bit. In the end, we showed morale and came close, but we would have liked it to have turned out differently. We were able to have a lot of possession, but we also wanted to show more of a goal threat. We failed to do that. The Club World Cup was an interesting experience, something new.”

Waldemar Anton (in the mixed zone): “The frustration is huge. I still can’t believe how he made the save. To be honest, I thought it was in. Considering the first half, it’s okay. We didn’t defend well and then let the game drift. We did a bit better in the second half. We had a few chances early on. If we’d made the right decision there, we might have scored earlier. But nevertheless, we’re taking a lot of experience away from the tournament. We played against many different teams with many different styles of play. Playing in a Club World Cup is something very special.”

Pascal Gross (in the mixed zone): “We wanted to stay compact at first, win the ball back against Real and then launch counterattacks. We didn’t really get a grip on the game. They overloaded the wings with a lot of players and we conceded two quick goals from two crosses. We also had our periods of possession, we had our moments, but our attacks just weren’t dangerous enough. There weren't any fireworks, not even from Real, despite the fact they had lots of opportunities. They were efficient with their chances.”