Kovac and Kobel critical despite Dortmund win

Borussia Dortmund picked up their first win of the Club World Cup on Saturday, narrowly defeating South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3 in a tense contest in Cincinnati.

Although the Bundesliga side took all three points, the mood post-match was far from celebratory. 

Head coach Niko Kovac and his players admitted the performance left much to be desired, with soaring temperatures also playing a role.

“I’m sweating like I’ve just come out of a sauna," said Kovac in an interview with DAZN. 

“It was tough going for both teams, but the opposition are used to it. We certainly didn’t give our best performance, but that wasn’t possible today. There were too many simple mistakes and things definitely didn’t run smoothly. The important thing was that we won the game. Nothing else matters.”

Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel did not hide his frustration after conceding three goals. 

"We can’t concede three goals, especially not like that. On the positive side, we scored four goals. But apart from that, there isn’t much to say. Our positioning wasn’t great. It was similar to the first game: we spent too much time ball watching. We didn’t create enough options. Whoever had the ball usually had a hard time. We put ourselves in a difficult position. Of course, it’s easier when it’s 15 degrees and drizzling. But football is also played in the summer. That’s part of the game. We have to be able to deal with that.”