Champions League
Hummels on BVB draw: “Not enough game intelligence”
Dortmund’s Mats Hummels is frustrated after the game against Sevilla. photo
© Soeren Stache/dpa
BVB’s wish for early entry into the round of 16 of the Champions League was not fulfilled. The 1-1 draw against Sevilla caused frustration – especially for a leading player.
Mats Hummels looked grumpy like a loser. The 1: 1 (1: 1) over FC Sevilla wasted the chance of an early entry into the round of 16 of the Champions League hit the Dortmund defense chief very hard.
“Good football doesn’t have to be sexy. Successful football isn’t a heel, tip one, two, three at five meters. Some people have to get that out of their heads,” complained the 2014 world champion his team “not enough game intelligence”: Football is actually a simple game, but we always make it complicated ourselves.”
The good mood that prevailed three days earlier after the 2-2 win in the Bundesliga summit seemed to have completely evaporated for the 33-year-old veteran. “I’m sorry, Sevilla, they’re unsettled right now, they were happy with the 1-1 here. We didn’t manage to build up pressure again with the ball,” Hummels complained a few minutes after the final whistle in a TV interview on Amazon Prime and promoted a more effective and straightforward way of playing: “I try to communicate that, but of course it’s difficult when you have the feeling that there aren’t enough people who are able to push again and again.”
Terzic: “It was pretty tough”
Edin Terzic did not want to contradict this verbal advance by the Dortmund substitute captain. “Those are words that have left my mouth before. It’s important to me that the word was there. We just have to play football much more precisely and effectively,” commented the football teacher after the game with the guests’ opening goal Tanguy Nianzou (18′) and Jude Bellingham’s equalizer (35′). Like Hummels, Terzic also mourned the missed opportunity to be able to go into the two remaining group games against Manchester City (October 25) and FC Copenhagen (November 2) without pressure: “It was pretty tough. That’s why we have to go with them today live this draw.”
Nevertheless, one year after the embarrassing first-round elimination in the premier class, the fourth-placed Bundesliga player is still in the running in the fight for entry into the round of the 16 best European teams. Second in the table behind the already qualified favorites Manchester City (10), the advantage over the pursuers from Seville (2) and Copenhagen (2) is five points. “Of course we wanted to fix it today and make it into the round of 16. But we still have a good starting position,” said national player Niklas Süle. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel was just as confident: “Of course it would have been nice to make it clear today. But then we’ll do it in the next few games.”