"We made small mistakes" - Niko Kovac reflects on Champions League win over Sabah
Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac commended his side for an improved attacking display but felt the scoreline could have been much bigger than 2-1 had they put away their chances.
A double from Serhou Guirassy helped them beat Sabah in Baku, ending their three-game winless run in all competitions this month.
The BVB were menacing right from the off, with Guirassy, Daniel Svensson and Fabio Silva all getting a shot on target inside the opening 10 minutes of the clash.
After back-to-back goalless outings, this was a refreshingly potent display from Kovac's side, although the manager feels their margin of victory could have been bigger.
We played a really good attacking game today and created a lot of chances. If we had even capitalized on half of them, we no doubt would have won by three or four goals.
Dortmund had their breakthrough in just the 10th minute when Guirassy converted a rebound after Sabah goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov spilled Felix Nmecha's shot.
Sabah responded with a set-piece goal when Aden McCarthy headed in from Tymoteusz Puchacz's free-kick inside the box, but Guirassy restored BVB's advantage shortly into the second half.
Joey Veerman sent in a lovely cross which the Guinea connected with delicately to place it into the centre of the net for 2-1.
It eventually proved enough to win the game for Dortmund as Sabah fell short of finding the equalizing goal, although their menace in trasitions had their visitors on the ropes in the dying embers.
Kovac reflected on this by admitting his side were guilty of some sloppy play in defense but felt the win was totally deserved by his side.
We made small mistakes here and there, which allowed our opponent back into the game. It was a tough battle, but totally deserved.
Dortmund are back to winning ways
It wasn't perfect again, but Dortmund at least ended their dry spell and returned to winning ways. That alone diminishes some of the pressure that had been building up after a series of underwhelming displays.
Not only were the BVB creating a host of chances here, but they also managed to put two of them away, courtesy of their star man Serhou Guirassy, who was in the right place at the right time on both occasions.
The win restores some of the confidence in the side which had been missing since club football resumed after the international break this month, whilst also bringing them up to 11th place in the League Phase standings with six points in three games.
