Emre Can was “incredibly proud” of Borussia Dortmund’s response to their Champions League defeat after they beat Union Berlin on Saturday.
Following on from their 2-0 loss at Tottenham, Can scored from the penalty spot before Nico Schlotterbeck and Maximilian Beier also got on the scoresheet for Niko Kovac’s side.
Gregor Kobel’s 50th clean sheet in the Bundesliga secured a 3-0 win on the road, moving them eight points behind Bayern Munich, who lost 2-1 to Augsburg on Saturday.
Can has now scored all 12 of his penalties in the German top flight, with only Harry Kane (20), Hans-Joachim Abel (16), and Ludwig Nolden (15) enjoying longer successful streaks without failure from the spot.
After receiving criticism for their recent performances, which head coach Kovac also alluded to before the match, Can was delighted to see Dortmund show their true colours against Union.
“We have been criticised a lot in recent weeks, and rightly so, but today I am incredibly proud of the lads for how we responded here,” Can told Sky Sports.
“It’s never easy to play here, you have to hold your nerve. And that’s what we did for 90 minutes. Huge compliments to the team.
“Real men’s football – not always pretty, but the points count, and the fight paid off. The points haul in the Bundesliga is fine. In the Champions League, I’d say we could do even better.
“We have a very, very important game on Wednesday, but in the Bundesliga we’re right on target.”
Dortmund’s win, combined with a surprise defeat for Bayern Munich against Augsburg, means BVB closed the gap on the Bundesliga leaders to eight points.
