Kobel: "It was the second round of the cup but it felt like more"
| Photo: Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images. |
Borussia Dortmund's Gregor Kobel proved to be the penalty shoot-out hero for his side in their DFB-Pokal victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the second round tonight.
“It was a tough match. The penalty takers did a fantastic job. When the pressure goes up after 120 minutes, then it's not easy to take that shot," Kobel said, after the game.
"All of them [penalties] were really well placed. As such, it was a great evening. It was the second round of the cup but it felt like more. A game like this is just so much fun.
"We've really built things up a bit, also in terms of atmosphere. A win like this, and also the one against Köln, is of course really, really good – for the team, the mood, the energy," he added.
Meanwhile, for BVB head coach Niko Kovač, it was “the umpteenth time” that he and his brother had to experience a penalty shoot-out in the German cup.
"Today's game could not have been decided differently because both teams gave it their all. We're happy to progress, but I feel for Eintracht, because I know it's tough to be eliminated.
"It was a tough match for us because Eintracht were really good. They had the home advantage, with their fans, and they used it well. But in the Cup you don't celebrate the games.
“You only need to continue to the next round and give it all you have. And that's what the boys did, from the first until the 120th minute. In the end, it's like roulette,” Kovač explained.
