In the 4th round of the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund secured a 1-0 victory over Graz Storm at home. After the match, Dortmund’s head coach Şahin stated that this game was crucial for Dortmund, and he was particularly excited about the team achieving a long-awaited clean sheet.
With this 1-0 win over Graz Storm, Dortmund has a record of 3 wins and 1 loss, placing them in the direct qualification zone (currently 4th). Şahin noted that this victory, like the 2-1 win against RB Leipzig last weekend, was critical in helping the team shake off their recent slump. “A very important victory. Apart from the 60-70 minute period, we controlled the game. Although the goal came late, we finally secured the win.”
In fact, Dortmund had multiple excellent chances throughout the match, with a shot ratio of 21-7 and a possession rate of 66%. Şahin also praised the resilience of Graz Storm, “They ran tirelessly. I thought they would tire out early, but they fought hard until the end.”
Şahin also commended Malen, who scored the winning goal, “This match proved that he is a very important player for us. Besides the winning goal, he also made a crucial clearance.”
Finally, Şahin expressed his greatest satisfaction with the clean sheet, “I might not care how we get the three points, but it’s great to keep a clean sheet after such a long time.” Apart from being eliminated by Wolfsburg in extra time in the DFB-Pokal, Dortmund’s last clean sheet victory was on September 19, when they beat Club Brugge 3-0. Since then, even when they won, they struggled to keep a clean sheet.
