“I’m incredibly sorry” – Kobel takes blame for decisive penalty in Dortmund’s Champions League exit

Gregor Kobel has admitted that his error led to the goal that eliminated Borussia Dortmund from the Champions League against Atalanta.

Despite a 2–0 first-leg win over Atalanta last week, Borussia Dortmund crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday, falling 4-1 in Bergamo.

In a post-match interview, Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel took full responsibility for the fourth goal, which Lazar Samardzic converted from the penalty spot.

The Swiss goalkeeper’s misplaced pass gave Atalanta possession in a dangerous area, and Ramy Bensebaini subsequently committed the foul that led to the decisive penalty.

“That was my mistake at the end. I’m incredibly sorry for my teammates. Football can be cruel sometimes,” Kobel said.

Explaining why he opted to play it short instead of clearing it, he added:

“I first wanted to clear the ball, but sometimes you only have a split second. Of course, I should have dealt with it differently.”

Dortmund must now shift focus to Saturday’s Bundesliga top-of-the-table clash with Bayern Munich.

“We have little time now, so we have to dust ourselves off and move on,” said Kobel.