Andre Schurrle is thrilled to have finally gotten the chance to start alongside fellow German national team players Marco Reus and Mario Gotze for Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund’s star studded line-up against Borussia Monchengladbach may have gained the notice of fans and media, but Peter Stöger’s team were made to struggle for the three points. End the end, it was a miscalculated shot that ended up tricking keeper Yann Sommer and giving Dortmund the victory. Andre Schurrle provided the assist for Marco Reus’ strike.
The two, alongside Mario Gotze, started their first match together for Dortmund. Fans were naturally anxious to watch the trio, that until recently represented a constant presence for the German national team. The introduction of the three players in the starting roster is comforting for the fans. But is this made to last?
The three offensive players may have stolen the headlines, but Dortmund mainly have their keeper to thank for the result. Roman Burki saved 11 shots on target from Monchengladbach. The victory brings the team to the second position in the Bundesliga, but the keeper is first to admit that luck and hard work played an important part in winning last night.
“It hurts everywhere, which shows what a hard-fought victory it was. But that’s part of it. It was hard, playing in this place. To be honest, I’ve never experienced such a pitch, it was extremely hard to play on,” he added, referring to a poor quality surface at Borussia-Park,” Burki says.
Götze ➡️ Schürrle ➡️ Reus ➡️ GOAL ⚽️
✨ #GötzeSchürrleReus #BMGBVB 0-1 pic.twitter.com/9pQ6Md6lVH
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) February 18, 2018
The lone goal by which Dortmund won is all the more satisfying given the involvement of the three Mannschaft players. Gotze passed to Schurrle who cut into Monchengladbach’s penalty area and found Reus free on the right side. Reus’ shot hit the woodwork before going in. The player admits that the goal, as eye-catching as it was, may have been the result of a poorly placed shot after all.
“For the goal, I did not hit the ball properly. I actually wanted to shoot further to the left, if I’m completely honest. It’s nice, of course, that it went in anyway,” Reus tells Sky.
“Overall, it was a tough game. Especially in the second half, Gladbach were clearly better, they also had the bigger chances. It was then a pure [scrap], luckily with the better ending for us. We still have a lot of work to do. Nevertheless, these victories are extremely important right now, so that we can improve.”
Dormund fans are naturally excited about the team’s line-up and recent ascending form. Schurrle, Reus and Gotze seem to be comfortable playing together, after having done so for Germany. Andre Schurrle says that there is more than a working relationship that binds the three players.
