Wolfsburg coach Kovac after retirement: "Football is cruel"
After winning the round of 16 in the DFB Cup, Gladbach's dream of reaching the final in Berlin is alive and well. Because many big clubs have failed, the foals believe they have a chance. VfL Wolfsburg carelessly threw this away. After the last-minute defeat, coach Niko Kovač speaks the truth of the losers.
After VfL Wolfsburg's bitter cup exit, Niko Kovač lamented the missed opportunities. "Football is a beautiful sport and a cruel sport at the same time. We experienced both today - we're sad, and rightly so," said the Wolves' coach after the last-minute knockout in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
After 120 tough minutes, Manu Kone's 0:1 sealed the seventh away defeat in a row for the Wolves. Kovač was nevertheless satisfied. "We dominated the second half and extra time and could have decided the game in the 90th minute like Gladbach did in the 120th minute," said the 52-year-old: "But that's the way it is."
Striker Jonas Wind had two great chances in the 90th minute and in stoppage time, but first failed to beat Gladbach goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas and then shot just wide of the goal. "You can and must be satisfied with the performance, but not with the result. At the moment, you have to do more to get less, because you don't get much with little anyway," said Kovač: "The team put up a great fight and were unfortunate to be eliminated."
Dreaming of first title since 1995 on the Lower Rhine
Meanwhile, Borussia Mönchengladbach's belief in a cup coup this season is growing. "The path is getting shorter and shorter, the probability is high," said sporting director Roland Virkus after the game and in view of the elimination of Bayern Munich and defending champions RB Leipzig in the previous round: "Then we certainly have a chance, no question about it."
In the end, the lucky extra-time win was first and foremost a victory. "It wasn't a treat, but that doesn't matter. What counts is getting through and we managed to do that," said Virkus, who is now hoping for a lower-ranked opponent in the next round. His team previously had to play Bundesliga clubs Heidenheim and now Wolfsburg. "Now it's our turn," said Virkus.
In addition to the favorites Munich and Leipzig, an unusually large number of first division teams have already failed this year, so that captain Julian Weigl also expects his Borussia to possibly make it to a cup final for the first time in 28 years: "The cup is incredibly exciting this year. Some big teams have already been knocked out. That's why it will certainly give us a boost." The draw for the last eight will be held next Sunday. Gladbach's last cup win to date was in 1995, when they faced the then second-division side VfL Wolfsburg in the final.
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Despite VfL Wolfsburg's strong second-half performance and opportunities in extra time, they fell short in the DFB Cup against Borussia Mönchengladbach. This was a disappointing outcome for coach Niko Kovač's team, who had high hopes of reaching the final locally in Berlin. Meanwhile, Gladbach, inspired by Kovač's previous club, believes in their chances of securing their first title since 1995 in the DFB Cup.
Source: www.ntv.de
