Borussia Dortmund finishing woes overshadow latest Champions League victory

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Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy was only partially satisfied with his team’s 2-1 Champions League victory over Azerbaijani outfit Sabah FK on Tuesday evening. Despite scoring both goals in the victory, the Guinean international insisted that he and his teammates still have plenty of work to do.

The victory in Baku ended Dortmund’s three-match winless streak, which had included draws against Werder Bremen and Union Berlin as well as a disappointing Champions League defeat against Bodø/Glimt. Guirassy opened the scoring in the tenth minute, reacting quickest after Sabah goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov failed to hold Felix Nmecha’s effort.

The hosts equalized through Aden McCarthy shortly before halftime, but Guirassy restored Dortmund’s lead in the 53rd minute after connecting with an excellent Joey Veerman delivery. It was the striker’s second Champions League brace of the season, following his two goals in Dortmund’s opening victory against Villarreal.

Nevertheless, Guirassy told DAZN that he was only “half satisfied” with the team’s performance.

Dortmund lament missed opportunities in Baku

Dortmund finished the encounter with 22 shots and approximately 3.7 expected goals. Guirassy alone accounted for eight shots, while strike partner Fábio Silva squandered an excellent early opportunity. The statistics underlined Dortmund’s superiority, but the narrow scoreline meant Niko Kovac’s side remained vulnerable to a late equalizer.

“We have to kill the game [off],” Veerman remarked when speaking to reporters in the mixed zone. “We have to score a lot more, I think.”

Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel agreed that Dortmund had made life unnecessarily difficult for themselves.

“It took a little too long to put the game to bed,” Kobel said. “If one scores a few more goals, such a game would be more relaxed. One felt that there was more in that game. It would have done us good to score four or five goals. It would have been easier.”

“Of course, I wish a few more goals had gone in up front,” Kobel continued. “But I just have to do my job and remain vigilant at the back.”

Kovac shared his players’ assessment at the post-match press conference.

“The lads could have and definitely should [have] won the game by a larger margin,” the BVB head coach said. “Then we wouldn’t have had such a nervy finish.”

Sporting director Nils-Ole Book also acknowledged that Dortmund had failed to capitalize on several opportunities that would have settled the contest.

“Of course, if we had scored those two decisive goals it would have been different,” Book told reporters in the mixed zone. “That definitely sticks out.”

Guirassy challenges Dortmund to maintain higher standards

The best players, Guirassy argued, produce dependable performances every week. He emphasized that Dortmund’s squad possessed sufficient quality to meet those standards but needed to demonstrate it more regularly. Importantly, Guirassy did not exempt himself from criticism.

“We’re top players, so we have to work on that – myself included,” the forward explained in his DAZN interview.

His assessment adds another dimension to Dortmund’s recent struggles. The Schwarzgelben began the season impressively, but their attacking difficulties against Bodø/Glimt and Union Berlin had already attracted scrutiny before Tuesday’s victory.

Kovač’s team now return to Bundesliga action against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday evening.

GGFN | Peter Weis