Borussia Dortmund’s Niko Kovac Regrets Defeat in RB Leipzig Clash

Following their 2-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday, Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac expressed his frustration, stating that his team should have netted at least three or four goals despite managing a staggering 25 shots throughout the match.

Xavi Simons and Lois Openda found the back of the net for Leipzig, putting them ahead 2-0. However, Dortmund fought valiantly to get back into the game, creating numerous opportunities to score in the second half.

Unfortunately, a mix of poor finishing and some outstanding goalkeeping by Peter Gulacsi denied Dortmund, who now find themselves in 11th place following the defeat. The Ruhr Valley outfit sits on 35 points after 26 matches, trailing fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt by seven points.

“It’s a disaster. This is not the standard I expect of myself,” Kovac told Sky Sports.

“It’s hard to believe. I can’t explain it. The ball simply refused to go in today. The bottom line is: we failed to score and ended up losing undeservedly. We should have scored at least three or four goals.”

Last season, Dortmund reached the Champions League final and have progressed to the quarter-finals this year, yet their dire form in the league raises doubts about their ability to qualify for the competition next season.

Midfielder Pascal Gross acknowledged the need for Dortmund to reconsider their ambitions regarding a return to Europe’s elite, stating: “We need to start winning matches. It’s becoming increasingly unrealistic.”

“The first half was poor, and in the second half, we should have converted our chances. We’re in 11th place now. I can’t just say, ‘We’ll make it to the Champions League.’ It’s easy to talk a lot; we simply didn’t perform today.”

“The performance was extremely disappointing, especially since we’ve struggled after Champions League matches before. This really frustrates me. Consistency is a crucial quality in football, and we are clearly lacking that. We can’t seem to maintain a high level of play every three days.”

Additionally, Dortmund will be anxiously awaiting updates on the severity of midfielder Marcel Sabitzer’s knee injury, which saw the Austrian exit the pitch in tears early in the second half.

“I’m not sure what exactly happened. He’s experiencing knee pain, and we have to wait to find out more,” Kovac commented.

“I can’t say whether it’s a long-term issue, and I don’t want to speculate. We’ll have to wait for the medical investigations to give us answers.”

Dortmund’s next match will be at home against Mainz on March 30.