World Cup winner Lothar Matthäus saw "a mature performance" from Dortmund, who took the field in black and yellow, "defended compactly, shut everything down in the second half, were superbly organized, and took their chance." And BVB managing director Lars Ricken breathed a deep sigh of relief after the win on the Neckar: "Stress test passed! Last season we were sitting here in the dressing room after a 2-0 win and didn't really know why. Today we do. I saw a team that fought back, and not just in terms of effort." What impressed Ricken was not only "the way they saw the win out, but also how bravely they defended on the front foot, especially in the first half when they also tried to dominate with the ball."
The former professional and Dortmund native is thrilled with the work Niko Kovac has been doing since March 2025: "Under Niko, we've developed a certain resilience. The team really takes great pride in defending its own goal." They ran two kilometers more than their opponents (120.5 kilometers) and also made their mark in attack. After an intense 90 minutes, the shot count stood at 13:11, giving the winners a slight edge.
"We had a lot of control in the first half, then in the...