Niko Kovac would have liked to see Borussia Dortmund fight “from the very first minute” after they battled back to earn a comeback win over Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga.
Dortmund found themselves 2-0 down at the break after goals from Philip Otele and Albert Sambi Lokonga, while Felix Nmecha missed a penalty shortly before half-time.
But second-half substitute Ramy Bensebaini led the comeback charge, scoring two spot-kicks to complete the turnaround, with help from Serhou Guirassy.
Dortmund generated an expected goals (xG) value of 6.2 versus HSV, the biggest tally by any club in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
They also won three penalties in one Bundesliga game for the first time ever.
And while Kovac was thrilled to get three points on the board, he admitted he would have liked a much quicker start.
“HSV did a lot of things right in the first half and defended very aggressively. We definitely played far too slowly and failed to create numerical advantages,” Kovac said.
“That’s why we addressed a few things at half-time and made a real difference with the two substitutions. In the second half, the energy of the stadium really helped us.
“I liked the way we played in the second half, and that’s what I would have liked to see from the very first minute. And then Signal Iduna Park did the rest.
“Despite the three penalties, we deserved to come away as winners and will hopefully continue to pick up the points we need after the international break.”
Dortmund remain second in the Bundesliga, nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich and 11 clear of RB Leipzig below them in third.
Kovac’s side finished with 24 shots overall, with 10 of those classed as ‘big’ chances, but only nine of their total shots came in the first half (one on target).
It was a marked improvement after the break, and Fabio Silva highlighted the importance of Kovac’s half-time team talk.
“That wasn’t what we wanted [in the first half], and it wasn’t the way we wanted to play,” he said in the mixed zone.
“The manager said at half-time that we needed to step it up. If we don’t play with intensity and don’t win the challenges, we’ll run into big problems.
“But after that, I think we responded well. The most important thing is the impact I have on the team with my style of play and my quality when I come on as a substitute.”