Kovac hails “great team performance” after Lille win

Niko Kovac lauded a “great team performance” after Borussia Dortmund secured a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals with a win over Lille.

Borussia Dortmund booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Lille on Wednesday to go through 3-2 on aggregate.

Speaking after the win, which was secured after Dortmund came from a goal down, head coach Niko Kovac was proud of his team.

“A great team performance – an energetic performance – and an absolutely deserved win,” Kovac told DAZN after the game. 

“We were unfortunate to go behind, but the team dominated the game and had three great chances, with Lille clearing the ball on the line and a shot hitting the crossbar. All in all, a lot of chances in a Champions League away game. It shows that the team has quality and is born for games like this.”

Kovac and Dortmund will face a tough test in the next round when they take on FC Barcelona.

“Lille are strong on the ball. Barcelona are even better – several levels better, in fact. That means we’ll have to make the most of the possession we get. When we don’t, we have to defend well. But we also have good players – good pace – to hurt them,” said Kovac.