Kehl praises Duranville's work after UCL start: "Played as we had hoped."
Nuri Sahin's starting XI against Barcelona last night featured two surprises. Both American attacking midfielder Giovanni Reyna and Belgian international Julien Duranille made their very first starts of the season. Both players had made five substitute appearances prior to last night. After the match, BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl praised Duranville's workload in particular.
"He got off to a very good start and was able to make a difference with his first notable action," Kehl - referring to a set-up of teammate Marcel Sabitzer in the 18th minute - said, "I think he played with exactly with the ease and freshness we had hoped for."
“He was very happy that the coach put his trust in him," Kehl continued, "He did well, and we now want to take the next steps with him in the winter. Hopefully the game today will also give him a bit of self-confidence."
"The team really cranked it up in the second half," Kehl said of the BVB performance in general, "They played with plenty of passion, courage, and heart. A draw would have absolutely been more than a fair result, but that's how football is sometimes."
