Niko Kovac: Only unity can lead to success

After goals from Adeyemi, Chukwuemeka, Giraci and Gittens, Dortmund beat Freiburg 4-1 in the focus match of the 28th round of the 2024/25 Bundesliga. Niko Kovac said that the team must defend well and insisted that only unity can lead to success.

In the 34th minute of the match, Maximilian Bayer made a cross pass, Adeyemi received it and broke through the defense and shot into the goal, helping Dortmund take the lead 1-0. In the 51st minute of the second half, Chukwuemeka received a pass from Maximilian Bayer and scored a long shot in the penalty area, helping Dortmund continue to lead Freiburg 2-0.

In the 68th minute, Brandt passed the ball to the goal, and Girasi scored with a low shot, helping Dortmund to expand their lead to 3-0. In the 78th minute, Julian Reilson broke through the defense and made a cross, and Gittens jumped up and headed the ball into the goal, making the score 4-0.

In the 88th minute, Eggestein received a pass from his teammate and shot into the goal, helping Freiburg to equalize the score at 1-4.

In the end, Dortmund defeated Freiburg 4-1 away from home. After two consecutive wins, Dortmund is currently ranked 8th in the standings with 41 points. It is worth mentioning that Dortmund will go away to challenge the Spanish giants Barcelona in the first round of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.

Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said in an interview, "We won the game, but the next one is a tough battle against Barcelona, which will be a completely different challenge because we will face one of the strongest teams in Europe. We must defend well, but we can see that we have this ability in this game. Everyone runs and pays for each other, and only unity can lead to success."

"I was very happy to see Girasi score after his injury and Gittens scored again. It was an all-round victory, not only did we win the game but all the forwards scored."

In addition, Dortmund striker Adeyemi said, "We need to return to the basics and fight and play purely. We work hard to do this every week, and we played very stably in the last two games and deserved to win. Our offensive line is in good shape, which is why we can achieve such a performance, and we hope to continue this momentum."

Chukwimeka, who also scored for Dortmund, said, “These are very crucial 3 points, especially against a direct competitor in the standings. To be honest, I thought I messed up the chance when I first touched the ball. But thank God, the ball still went into the net, and I am very grateful for it.”