BVB striker Niclas Füllkrug has long been a national striker, he has played in a World Cup for Germany, he has appeared almost 300 times in the Bundesliga and 2nd division. But he had to be 30 years old to score the first goal of his career in the European Cup: his debut for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in a 2-0 (1-0) win against Newcastle United was all the better.
“We actually almost lose the ball twice, but we are always greedier than the opponent,” he said about his opening goal in the 26th minute. “And in the end we score the goal. My first in front of the yellow wall – great emotions.”
But more importantly, he helped BVB get back on track just three days after their humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich (0-4). “You can highlight a game like this, we played against a top team,” emphasized Füllkrug.
BVB may be left behind in the Bundesliga, but in the Champions League it is leader of the excellent group with Newcastle, AC Milan and Paris St. Germain. Who would have thought that when BVB lost 2-0 in Paris with no courage or chance?
“With a lot of hard work we have put ourselves in a great starting position,” said Füllkrug. “We have everything in our own hands.” But he warned the team not to take off straight away: “Show humility, work, work and do your homework.”
BVB obviously took care of that after the Bayern slap. Coach Edin Terzic took Füllkrug’s goal as an example: “When you see how we fight for the ball – that’s exactly what we’ve been missing in the last few days.”