Marco Reus and Lucien Favre happy with Dortmund's 'ugly win' against Zenit
It wasn't pretty, but Borussia Dortmund got what they came for in Saint Petersburg.
Borussia Dortmund sealed the first place in Group F of the Champions League with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Zenit away from home on Tuesday.
Speaking to DAZN after the final whistle, BVB captain Marco Reus admitted it wasn't pretty.
"It was an ugly win that was more about our mentality than our quality, but you have to win games like this too. With all the injuries on top of that too, a win like tonight and finishing top of the group feels good," Reus said.
"It was a hard-fought game. In the first half we only had a couple of chances, but in the second we had to create more pressure because we knew that Lazio were winning and we were determined to finish top of the group."
Like Reus, Dortmund coach Lucien Favre was delighted to see his team come away with all three points after a tough game.
"We've topped the group, which is what we set out to do. It was a tough game. That's exactly what we planned for. It was tough for everyone here, Lazio and Brugge, but we've won. It was very tough and cost us a lot of energy," said Favre and added:
"We can't always create five or six clear-cut chances every half. Tonight we won and fought until the very end because Zenit defended very well. It was a hard-fought win on foreign soil against a side that shouldn't be underestimated."