Responses to the Champions League final. - "In case they don't take our lives, we are prepared to retaliate"
Borussia Dortmund fell short in the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium in London. Amidst their dominance for 60 minutes and better scoring chances, Real Madrid emerged victorious with a 2-0 win. Real was sloppy in their play and relied heavily on their luck and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. After the game resumed, Real Madrid took charge and bagged goals through Daniel Carvajal and Vinicius Junior. For Borussia Dortmund, the loss felt like a missed opportunity. Even Real's stars Toni Kroos and Jude Bellingham admitted that they could have lost.
Mats Hummels from Borussia Dortmund expressed his pride in his team despite losing. "We came in with passion, with a passion for football, and we launched crazy attacks. Then they come back, like they've done for a century. It hurts."
Toni Kroos from Real Madrid reflected, "My exit was last week. But this moment means a lot to me. We didn't let in a goal in the first half, which would've been a possibility. The first half wasn't good. Then we got better as the game progressed. But it took a long time for us to outperform Borussia Dortmund."
Edin Terzic, Borussia Dortmund's coach, said, "In the first half, we felt: We have them. The only difference is: They had the killer instinct. And that's what we lacked."
Carlo Ancelotti, Real's coach, noted, "Dortmund belonged to the first half, and we belonged to the second. In the end, it was fair play."
Hans Joachim Watzke, BVB's managing director, shared his disappointment. "I'm completely shattered. I was a bit skeptical in the first half as we didn't score despite having many chances. But then, you can't blame the team. They performed well. But when you lead the game and Real Madrid wins nearly all the time -- that's tough."
Antonio Rüdiger from Real Madrid said, "It was a tough battle. Borussia Dortmund played exceptionally well. But in the end, that's us. Real Madrid. We know how to endure. And we create our own chances."
Thibaut Courtois, Real's goalkeeper, took stock of the game. "The first half was grueling, they had countless chances. Carlo asked us at halftime if it would be better to play with three midfielders instead of four because they damaged us on the wings. We didn't press well and gave away too much space. We altered that."
Jude Bellingham from Real Madrid added, "I have to be upfront: They were the better team in the first half. They could've been ahead 2-0 or even 3-0. But if they don't annihilate us, we bounce back."
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Toni Kroos acknowledged that Borussia Dortmund had several goal opportunities in the Champions League final, stating, "But if they don't annihilate us, we bounce back." After the final whistle, Mats Hummels showed his pride towards Dortmund, saying, "We came in with passion, with a passion for football, and we launched crazy attacks. Then they come back, like they've done for a century. It hurts." Despite Real Madrid's victory, Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged that Borussia Dortmund deserved the first half, admitting, "Dortmund belonged to the first half, and we belonged to the second." In the aftermath of the Champions League final, even Borussia Dortmund's coach, Edin Terzic, acknowledged that Real Madrid had the killer instinct, saying, "In the end, it was fair play."
