What We're Reading
Mourinho: 'They Were the Better Side By Far'
- UEFA.com, Thursday, April 25, 2013 1:08 PM
Jose Mourinho was full of praise for Borussia Dortmund following Real Madrid’s 4-1 loss to the Bundesliga giant in the first-leg of their two-game UEFA Champions League
semifinal series. The Portuguese admitted Jurgen Klopp’s men had beaten his team comprehensively. “They were the better side by far,” he said. “They won their
individual battles. They were better organized than us, better physically and better mentally. The game went from 1-1 to 4-1 in such a short space of time. We lost possession easily and couldn't cope
with their transitions and speed on the break.”
Mourinho suggested that Real’s poor defending made it easy for Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored
all four of his team’s goals. “We know everything about them and everything about Lewandowski, but we lost him for three of his goals, which is not good enough,” he said. “When
you lose and you deserve to, it is not so hard to take. For three of the goals we lost possession too easily and didn't mark properly. We know about Lewandowski's movement and he deserves great credit
for his performance, but we didn't make it as difficult for him as I would like.”
The former UCL winner with FC Porto and Inter Milan added that his team could turn the series around
in Madrid on Tuesday. “We can – it's very difficult but we can do it. In football anything is possible. On a crazy night when everyone performs at a high level, when every chance is a
goal, we can turn it around.”
