Stoger, Schurrle make no excuses for Der Klassiker defeat
Peter Stoger has slammed Borussia Dortmund for getting the basics wrong in their 6-0 hammering at the hands of Bayern Munich, adding that his side did not show the attitude required to have success in Der Klassiker.
Stoger's unbeaten run in charge of Dortmund in the Bundesliga came to an end in emphatic fashion at the Allianz Arena on Saturday - Robert Lewandowski netting a hat-trick as the runaway league leaders ran riot.
Three goals in the opening 23 minutes had put the result beyond all doubt, but two efforts in the space of a minute from Lewandowski and Franck Ribery added further humiliation on the stroke of half time.
Former Dortmund star Lewandowski then inflicted further damage in the closing stages, and Stoger made no excuses for his side's performance.
"We did too much wrong. The basics were missing, which were once the basis for success at Dortmund," Stoger told reporters.
"If you play against a strong and determined team, then you need these basics. Bayern have exploited our weaknesses.
"We invited Bayern pressure and made too many individual errors for the goals. These are gifts that should not happen. But I'm not concerned by individual mistakes.
"It's about the attitude. This is a team with the claim to be the second best in Germany, so we look at everything even more critically."
6 - @FCBayernEN have won 6 of the last 8 #Bundesliga games against Dortmund (D1), only losing once in November 2016 in Dortmund (0-1). Dominant. #FCBBVB
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) March 31, 2018
Lewandowski put Bayern ahead inside five minutes, with James Rodriguez and Thomas Muller getting on the scoresheet soon after.
Dortmund had no response to Bayern's relentless quality, and a scrappy Lewandowski second, followed by a sensational Ribery effort, capped off an incredible first-half performance from the hosts.
Mario Gotze went close to pulling back a consolation midway through the second half, though it would be Lewandowski who added further gloss to Bayern's win late on.
5 – 5 of Michy Batshuayi’s 13 touches in the first half have been kick offs. Zone. #FCBBVB pic.twitter.com/kqSbaXbp4P
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) March 31, 2018
And Andre Schurrle acknowledged that Dortmund were lucky Bayern did not increase their lead further.
"There are no words. It was a disaster from the first minute to the last," the former Chelsea forward said.
"The first half, we weren't there, and that’s impossible in a game like this and Bayern destroyed us. In the second half, they let us off.
"I don't know where it came from. It doesn't matter about tactics. It doesn't matter about the players. They could have scored more. We are lucky with 6-0."