Borussia Dortmund’s head of sport Sebastian Kehl has expressed doubts about BVB’s further career in the DFB Cup after the difficult victory against Hannover 96. After the 2-0 (1-0) and the entry into the round of 16, he warned that “in today’s form it will not quite reach the end”. BVB was actually anything but in final form with the second division team.
According to Kehl, the team is always capable of winning a title, “but we have to improve,” he added. The Champions League participant could not be satisfied with the performance against 96.
BVB coach Edin Terzic was not happy with the way the game went and the current form: “We just have to be more mature,” demanded the 39-year-old. It is important not to avoid duels. Terzic spoke of a certain form of “intrinsic motivation” that was missing “in certain phases”. It now requires the willingness of the team to want to do better as quickly as possible.
Before the game on Saturday against VfB Stuttgart (3.30 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker), Kehl expressed concerns about the goals for the season: “We have to learn quickly, we have to get back on track quickly in order to ultimately achieve our overall goals not to lose sight of it,” said the 42-year-old: “We’ve also shown in the last few weeks that we can do better,” he added.
After the arduous move into the round of 16, the relieved Dortmund professionals first thanked goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. Also thanks to an outstanding performance by the Swiss, the once again enigmatic BVB prevailed over the outsider. “We had Gregor Kobel in goal. I think we were lucky today. World class,” said midfielder Emre Can on Sky: “You have to be honest, it wasn’t a good game for us.”
A Bright Arrey-Mbi own goal (11th minute) and a Jude Bellingham penalty (71st) ensured the flattering win. In addition to the strange performance, substitute Karim Adeyemi (85th) saw the red card for an emergency brake in front of 49,000 spectators. “It was a typical dirty cup game,” said Kobel: “We’re in the round of 16. But of course it is not our aim to allow so many chances.”
Is it a mentality or quality problem? Maybe even both? After the 0: 2 at Union Berlin, BVB performances were discussed again. In any case, in the cup game in Hanover, Borussia needed a pick-me-up to find their way into the game. Following a corner, 96 striker Havard Nielsen had a huge chance to make it 1-0 in the 6th minute, but Kobel fended off his attempt in dire need. “The big issue for us will be the exploitation of chances. And if you can say that after a game against Borussia Dortmund, that’s actually a compliment,” said Hannover’s Hendrik Weydandt.
BVB presented itself in all its contradictory patterns. First, the guests took control of the game. After a fine pass from Julian Brandt, Youssoufa Moukoko got the ball, shortly afterwards Arrey-Mbi deflected his shot from a tight angle into his own goal. Then BVB actually dominated the action. Until the Terzic team withdrew again for inexplicable reasons and became extremely careless. Only two brilliant acts by Kobel against Nielsen (31st) and Maximilian Beier (32nd) prevented the equaliser.
It may also be because Terzic did without some leading players. Veteran Mats Hummels and midfielder Jude Bellingham were given breaks and initially sat on the bench. Captain Marco Reus was not part of the squad. For example, Niklas Süle led BVB as captain for the first time, but even the national player was unable to contain the recurring negligence. Shortly before the break, Hannover became dangerous again after a corner, Julian Börner’s header (44th) was caught by Kobel.
You hardly saw that a second division team was playing against a Champions League club. On the contrary: After half-time, Hannover even pressed for the equalizer. In the 53rd minute, another 96 striker was free in front of the BVB goal, but this time Weydandt couldn’t process the ball from a few yards. The fact that Hanover coach Stefan Leitl voluntarily gave up captain and first-choice goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler didn’t really matter. Substitute Leo Weinkauf looked a bit unhappy at 0:1. Otherwise he was there when asked.
Terzic was quickly fed up with the fact that almost nothing came from his team after the break. Above all, he would have preferred to completely rest the exhausted Bellingham. In view of the weak performance, he brought him and Hummels in the 62nd minute. And the young Englishman immediately took the initiative. Börner fouled him in his own penalty area and Bellingham converted the penalty himself. Now everything seemed under control again. Until BVB got into a counterattack that Adeyemi could only stop with an emergency brake against Köhn.
In addition to Bellingham’s feat, Hummels also took center stage after the game. At least at the heart of the debate. Teammate Can does not think his public criticism of Dortmund’s performance is the right way. “Everyone is different. I’d rather do it internally. I’d rather discuss it all internally. Everyone has to know for themselves what comes out in the public eye,” criticized Can: “I’m not the type for it. The Mats is different there, I can’t blame him for that.”
Coach Terzic tried to stop himself at the press conference despite the Hummels reproach. That has always been respected,” he said. The issues raised are internally present, “because we know very well that many things are not going well,” he added: “I would have a big problem with it if the boys didn’t give a shit.” In view of the weak BVB performances recently Defender Hummels publicly expressed clear criticism of his own performance.
RB Leipzig – Hamburger SV 4: 0
Stuttgarter Kickers – Eintracht Frankfurt 0:2
Waldhof Mannheim – 1. FC Nürnberg 0:1
VfB Lübeck – Mainz 05 0: 3
TSG Hoffenheim – Schalke 04 5:1
Eintracht Braunschweig – VfL Wolfsburg 1:2
SV Elversberg – VfL Bochum 0:1
Darmstadt 98 – Borussia Mönchengladbach 2:1
Hannover 96 – Borussia Dortmund 0:2
SC Freiburg – FC St. Pauli 2:1 n.V.
SV Sandhausen – Karlsruher SC 10: 9 i.E.
SC Paderborn – Werder Bremen 7: 6 on pens
FC Augsburg – FC Bayern Munich 2: 5 (1: 1)
VfB Stuttgart – Arminia Bielefeld 6: 0 (4: 0)
1. FC Union Berlin – 1. FC Heidenheim 2-0 (1-0)
Jahn Regensburg – Fortuna Düsseldorf 0:3 (0:3)
TSG Hoffenheim
Eintracht Frankfurt
RB Leipzig
Mainz 05
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Bochum
Darmstadt 98
1. FC Nürnberg
Borussia Dortmund
SC Freiburg
SC Paderborn
SV Sandhausen
FC Bayern
VfB Stuttgart
Union Berlin
Fortuna Düsseldorf
Draw for the round of 16 on Sunday evening in the ARD “Sportschau” (from 7.15 p.m.). The round of 16 matches will be played on four different days in two different weeks (January 31/February 1 and February 7/8, 2023) after the World Cup (November 20 to December 18).
