Can, Kobel, and Sahin after comeback win: “We showed character.”

Not often in the starting lineup these days, Borussia Dortmund squad captain Emré Can has at least served as an important leader for his team. The 30-year-old has converted thrice from the spot in BVB victories. His penalty in the opening Pokal round and successful spot kick against Heidenheim on match-day two proved decisive in both wins. Last night, Can helped his team erase a 0-2 deficit against visiting VfL Bochum with an equalizer from the spot in the 62nd.

“No one in the stadium really knew what was going to happen,” Can told German broadcaster DAZN last night when commenting on falling down 0-2 against visiting Ruhr rivals VfL Bochum, “One thinks that it’s definitely not looking good, but I had feeling we could turn it around.”

“We can’t just start playing after going down 0-2,” Can continued, “We must be present from the very first minute. This has happened far too often. We must be honest and learn from that. We still showed character.” 

BVB keeper Gregor Kobel – whose mistake enabled Peter Zeidler’s Reveierklub to go up 2-0 in the first place – clearly showed remorse both on the pitch and during his post-match interview. Broadcast cameras caught the veteran back-stop letting his teammates know that he took full responsibility after the play. Kobel expressed more contrition in his post-match interview. 

“I’m super grateful that the team pushed on after falling 0-2 down,” Kobel told DAZN, “It was obviously my fault. As a goalkeeper, one makes mistakes from time to time. It will happen to me again. How the team responded makes me very proud.” 

“Sometimes one has to suffer in order to learn,” head-coach Nuri Sahin added in his post-match interview, “We kept our composure, kept playing, and deserved to win.” 

“I’m grateful the team kept things clear in their head,” Sahin later remarked at the post-match press conference, “I got a great vibe from them at half-time in the locker room.”

“[Brace scorer Serhou Guirasssy] was among those who gave me a good feeling,” Sahin continued, “He was among those keeping it calm. That pleased me. That’s why we acquired him.”