Emre Can feels Borussia Dortmund fell short in their draw with Lille

Emre Can, the captain of Borussia Dortmund, expressed that his team was unable to “push past the pain barrier” during their 1-1 draw at home against Lille in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 on Tuesday.

A standout moment in the first half came in the 22nd minute with a goal from Karim Adeyemi, as Dortmund dominated play in what was a promising opening period for last season’s Champions League finalists.

However, in the second half, the German side allowed Lille to regain their footing, with Jonathan David assisting Hakon Haraldsson for an equaliser in the 68th minute, leaving the tie wide open for the return match in France.

Having endured a disappointing season across various competitions, which saw them drop to 10th in the Bundesliga and exit the German Cup in the early rounds, Dortmund seemed to be on the mend following the January appointment of new coach Niko Kovac.

Under Kovac, Dortmund had achieved four clean sheets in six matches and came into Tuesday’s clash having won back-to-back league games for the first time this season.

Yet, a lacklustre performance at home against a side positioned fifth in Ligue 1 highlights that Kovac still has significant work ahead in reviving the struggling team.

“The second half was not good at all. We showed too little intensity when off the ball and had insufficient ball possession,” Can remarked to Amazon Prime.

“We didn’t push past the pain barrier – and that’s essential against Lille. They’re a strong team; they’ve reached the last 16 for a reason.”

“We need to be bolder – it simply wasn’t good enough today. We can perform better, and we will.”

Despite the disappointment, Can remained optimistic, stating that Dortmund would “head to Lille with confidence – we believe we can remain in the competition.”

Midfielder Pascal Gross, whose goal was disallowed for offside, acknowledged that Dortmund “lacked intensity.”

“We lost possession too frequently – the overall performance was just not good,” said the former Brighton player.

“(However), we’re starting from 0-0 next week. It’ll be a tough battle, but we also have our strengths. We aim to win there and advance further.”