In an exciting Revierderby, Borussia Dortmund has to settle for a point despite being in the lead twice. Coach Terzic and sports director Kehl can hardly hide their disappointment. Schalke goal scorer Bülter talks about his curious camera fall.
Jude Belligham pounded his hand on the lawn in anger and threw off his tape bandage. A few meters further on, Schalke enjoyed their role as arch-rivals’ spoilsport in the championship race and even thought of themselves as “number one in the pot”.
The moral winner of the derby without a winner could undoubtedly be identified. Ironically, in the 100th Bundesliga derby at arch-rivals Schalke 04, Borussia Dortmund stumbled in the championship fight against FC Bayern. Despite clear superiority and a two-time lead, BVB’s winning streak broke after eight league successes in a row at 2-2 (1-0) in Gelsenkirchen.
“It was a heated, great atmosphere. I felt we had complete control of the first half. We should have closed the game in the second half. Then suddenly it’s 2:2 and Schalke celebrates it like victory,” national defender Nico Schlotterbeck quarreled on the TV channel “Sky” and coach Edin Terzic said: “In the second half it got wild, just like Schalke wanted it to be. In the end we gave up the win. We know we have a team, that we can play good football. But we also know that we’re not going to pull it off until now.”
Dortmund’s players looked dejected after the 2-2 win in the derby
Which: REUTERS
Terzic emphasized several times that those responsible at BVB had always been cautious about the title ambitions in the past few weeks. “We discuss that with the team, we have a few things that we need to improve. We’ve always been a bit more cautious when it comes to how far the team is. We didn’t manage to get our topics right today.”
“You can say that we gave away the derby win. We didn’t take our chances. We didn’t start well in the second half, it wasn’t as dominant anymore, although we had several chances to decide the game,” said Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl. BVB controlled the game well in the first half. “So in the end we got into it ourselves. We haven’t lost nine Bundesliga games, so you shouldn’t be too negative. But of course we are disappointed.” When asked if he still believed in the title chance, Kehl replied: “Of course.”
Schalke’s Bülter stumbles over the camera
The mood in Schalke, who have not been defeated in seven games, is completely different. “When you’re behind twice and come back like that, it feels good. The atmosphere was brutal and pushed us incredibly. The self-confidence that we have gained over the past few weeks has given us the belief that we can always come back,” said goalscorer Marius Bülter.
The striker also commented on his fall over a camera pole after the 1-1. “Of course I was also surprised that the thing was there. I still solved it well and caught it well. Of course that looks funny,” said Bülter, who tried to jump over the bar that was an obstacle next to the Dortmund goal, but didn’t quite make it. The striker was not injured in the action.
Marius Bülter (left) flew over a camera pole after scoring, but took the action with humor
Source: AP/Martin Meissner
Meanwhile, Kenan Karaman was happy about his first goal for Schalke, of all things for the 2-2 win against Dortmund: “My first goal for Schalke and directly in the derby. So you can shoot yourself into the hearts of Schalke. A special moment for me.”
Thomas Reis was proud of his players after the game. “We enjoy it when you see how the tie came about. The team should enjoy the applause of the fans,” said Schalke’s coach. “We have done a lot for it. The mood after the Leipzig game (1:6, note. i.e. editor) was absolutely negative, since then we have achieved a lot. We’re glad we’re still in the running.”
