Borussia Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp was left disappointed with his side’s attacking display in their 3-0 first-leg defeat to Real Madrid in their Champions league quarterfinal match-up.
The Germans managed 14 attempts on goal, with nine shots on target, winning seven corners in a hostile atmosphere in the Santiago Bernabeu, yet were unable to convert their chances as Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas preserved his clean sheet.
“We had a lot of chances to score and pushed forward until the final whistle,” said Klopp after the game.
“It definitely would have helped for the return leg. We’ve certainly been in better positions than being 3-0 down. A 2-0 victory in front of our home crowd is always a possibility, but that won’t be enough now since we didn’t score.
“We lacked the final touch in our attacks. We had a lot of counterattacks where we either missed the opportunity or the final ball was inaccurate. So if we are eliminated next week, it won’t just be because of our defensive showing tonight.
“But we also have to understand that we played one of the best teams in the world today.”
The German manager refused to make any predictions for next week’s reverse fixture at the Westfalenstadion.
“I’m not going to make any type of promises for the return leg, but we want to play attractive football and win the game if possible,” he said.
“And if we do manage to win, we will just have to wait and see by what margin. But I’m not going to stand here and say, ‘We’ll blow them away.’” (kickoffnigeria