"We are out because of the away game" - Groß attributes elimination to first-leg disaster
Speaking to interviewers from Amazon Prime Sport after their 3-1 second leg win over Barcelona, BVB's midfielder Pascal Groß shared his thoughts on the two-legged tie which culminated in a 5-3 aggregate defeat.
"We knew we had a tough result from the away game but we came here full of hope because we knew, in this stadium, that anything is possible.
'We knew we needed an early goal and we needed to fight and play forward and be brave. And I think we did all that.
'We had momentum and we had a couple of sights against that [ defensive] high line and I thought we played well.
'The own goal killed us a little but we kept going and got the third. We nearly got a fourth [goal] but we are out because of the [result in the] away game.
Die Schwarzgelben must return their attention to the final five games of the Bundesliga campaign as they bid to battle their way into the Champions League places for next season.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Barcelona superstar announces international retirement until coach is replaced
In a dramatic twist that has sent shockwaves through Polish football, Robert Lewandowski has announced his decision to step away from international duty, with the forward stating that he won't return unless there is a change in the coaching setup. The Barcelona forward made the bold declaration through his official social media, stating that he no longer has confidence in the current Poland manager, Michal Probierz. Advertisement The situation began to unravel a few weeks ago when Lewandowski opted out of Poland's friendlies against Moldova and Finland. At the time, the veteran striker claimed the decision had been made jointly with the coach, citing the demanding club season with Barça as a reason for his absence. But it appears that there was more brewing behind the scenes than initially revealed. Captaincy decision sparks final break Tensions escalated further when the Polish Football Federation announced that Lewandowski would be stripped of the captain's armband, handing it instead to midfielder Piotr Zielinski. This public demotion only added fuel to an already fiery situation, triggering Lewandowski's immediate and stern response. Advertisement 'Given the circumstances and the loss of confidence in the coach of the Polish national team, I have decided to give up playing with the Polish national team until he is no longer the coach,' wrote Lewandowski. He also thanked Polish supporters, calling them 'the best fans in the world,' and expressed his hope to represent the country again someday. The fallout between Poland's most iconic player and their current coach marks a low point for the national side, especially ahead of important qualifiers. For now, Lewandowski remains fully committed to Barcelona, but the message is clear — he won't wear the Poland shirt again until there's a new face on the touchline.
New York Times
30 minutes ago
- New York Times
Tottenham next manager betting: Thomas Frank and Marco Silva frontrunners for Spurs job
For more stories like this click here to follow The Athletic's sports betting section and have them added to your feed. Ange Postecoglou has been sacked, and the powers that be at Tottenham are looking to capitalize on his parting gift of Champions League football. Two favourites have emerged to take over the helm, but they couldn't be more different from each other. Advertisement We'll take a look at why their odds reflect their allure and whether there's value in betting on them. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has reportedly been an admirer of the recruitment models at Brentford and Brighton. With that being the case, why not just hire the manager of one of those clubs? The tricky part with Frank is identifying how much of the Bee's ability to punch above their financial weight all these seasons had to do with him. Managers tend to get a lot of credit for team success, but it's often not that simple. Players have always been the key driver of success and Frank has benefitted from working for a club that excels at turning bargain buys into productive Premier League players. The only real consistent statistical trait of Frank's Brentford sides is that they excel in the end product – in attack and defence. Since their return to the top tier in 2021, the Bees have made it difficult for opponents to consistently generate big chances while being amongst the best at making the most of every shot they take. Frank's sides have never finished worse than seventh in the league in non-penalty expected goals (xG) per shot. This past season was Brentford's stingiest under his tenure as they allowed just 0.09 non-penalty xG per attempt, good enough for second in the league. On the other end of the pitch, the Bees were even better. After being roughly league average in their first season back in the league, Brentford has spent the last three seasons ranking either first or second in non-penalty xG per attempt. For a team that can't drop the GDP of a small country on coveted attackers like other clubs, that's an impressive feat. What's impressive about Frank's run at Brentford is that, whether it's a 3-5-2, a 4-3-3 or any other formation, he's found a way to engineer good shots in attack while forcing bad ones in defence. Spurs, like Brentford, aren't capable of going out and spending above market value on players a manager 'needs' to make his preferred system work. Frank has proven he doesn't need a particular type of footballer. Just get him some good ones, and he'll figure out the rest. This has to be the appeal to Spurs and why Frank is a good bet to be their next manager despite the low odds. Where next, mate? 💼 — Betfair (@Betfair) June 7, 2025 The manager with the next best odds to wind up in North London couldn't be more different from Frank. Silva has been known for his toil and moil, and when it comes to the Portuguese manager, it's a high-pressing, 4-2-3-1 shape or bust. To Silva's credit, he has clearly shown he can make those tactics work. One of the best advertisements for Fulham's current manager is with his previous club: Everton. At the time of his firing, Silva was considered to have stalled Everton's aspirations for Europe. In hindsight, he was stalling the collapse of a club now consistently on the fringes of the relegation fight. But his work at Everton is the double-edged sword of hiring Silva. Advertisement In order to accommodate their new manager's system, the Toffees didn't get Silva one No 10, they got him three: Gylfi Sigurðsson, Davy Klaassen and Wayne Rooney. Silva made it work, but after he was fired in December of 2019 Everton were forced to deal with the fallout of investing a lot of money to acquire players for a manager who had one way of playing. Though the club has been up and down during his tenure, Fulham's results this season have shown the upside of hiring Silva once again. Football wage information is often spotty, but the Cottagers payroll ranked 14th in the league. Thanks in part to getting the most out of players who fit his system perfectly – like Antonee Robinson and Alex Iwobi – Silva had his side competing for European places up until the last month of the season. Fulham ultimately wound up with the 11th-best xG differential per 90 minutes. And that's the reason you look at Silva's odds and see a path. Hire the Portuguese manager, get him the right players and Spurs' performance could exceed their expectations as well. Roberto De Zerbi (16/1) is the antithesis of Frank – a manager who left a club renowned for their data-driven decision-making due to clashes with their approach. Xavi Hernandez (16/1) doesn't looking like an attractive candidate after we all witnessed Hansi Flick completely revitalise Barcelona with mostly the same players. The Mauricio Pochettino odds certainly seem intriguing (25/1) if you are a fan of nostalgia. The problem for Poch fans is the thing that likely would make him available – a sudden departure from the United States national team – is also the reason Spurs may not want him anymore. Every club Pochettino has guided since he's left London has made his success at Tottenham look increasingly circumstantial. Advertisement And bless your heart if you can find the hope in taking Luis Enrique's odds (50/1). But maybe living in Paris and defending your Champions League title with one of the world's most dynamic young rosters is worse than it seems. Betting/Odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo credit: Alex Davidson / Getty Images)
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Stuttgart take interest in Norwegian attacking midfield talent
Dennis Bayer and Sweden's Sportbladet report that Stuttgart are among the potential suitors for Norwegian attacking midfielder Tobias Fjeld Gulliksen. The Bundesliga outfit continues to prepare for the likely departure of Enzo Millot. Gulliksen has raised his profile at Swedish first division side Djurgårdens IF and could be available for around €5m. Bayer notes that there are other clubs interested in Gulliksen. Even if the transfer fee appears relatively modest, Stuttgart may wish to keep their outlays low after shelling out a record sum to acquire Stade Rennes fullback Lorenz Assignon. Advertisement It is also rumored that Stuttgart wish to fill their needs in the ten slot with Bayern Munich's Paul Wanner. The German-Austrian talent could be procured much cheaper via a loan fee in the six-figures'-range. There are also some whispers in the rumor mills that the Swabians explore the possibility of bringing former SC Freiburg academy man Noah Darvich back to Baden-Württemberg. The 18-year-old Freiburg-native moved to Barcelona in August 2023 and currently features for the Barça reserves. GGFN | Peter Weis
