Edin Terzic said goodbye to the Champions League trophy but left full of pride. - © ADRIAN DENNIS

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"I'm incredibly proud" - Borussia Dortmund stars talk Champions League final heartbreak

02.06.2024

Borussia Dortmund's flying first-half Champions League display faded into a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid. Unlike last season's end, there weren't floods of tears this time around, with Edin Terzić and his troops explaining why it was a night to be proud of.

Head coach Edin Terzić: "We played a great game and maybe we deserved a bit more. Especially in the first half you had the feeling that we had them figured out. We played a really, really good game. We showed that we believe in ourselves. We did so many things right and the only difference is that they had that killer instinct. And then you see the quality they have. That's why they are deservedly the champions again."

CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke: "We did very well. We should have taken the lead in the first half, then it would have been a different game. Real took full advantage of that. But you can't blame the team, we did well."

Sporting director Sebastian Kehl: "We played an outstanding first half. We hardly conceded anyh chances. We needed to score a goal and we had the game completely under control. We deserved to win today. We are proud of ourselves and our fans, but we are still very disappointed. We were so close, I'm empty now."

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Mats Hummels: "We played a great game. It sounds stupid, but I am incredibly proud of the team. We played well - with heart, with everything that goes with it, with footballing class. But we missed the chance to score a goal."

Gregor Kobel: "At the moment, you're just disappointed - I think that's normal after a game like that and an opportunity like that. You probably don't get too many chances against Real Madrid, we had ours. And in the end, they just hit with their quality. It's a huge success that we were here. I'm super proud of the team. We showed that we can play at the top level internationally."

Julian Brandt: "You start to digest the game, to realise what a chance you had. It starts to hurt, but that's part of it all. It would have been perfect if we had managed to kill them in the first half. We managed to get into Real's heads. We really had them against the ropes, but it's all useless if you don't take the chances."

Former Bayern midfielder Toni Kroos retires with a joint-record six Champions League titles - IMAGO/UWE KRAFT

Toni Kroos (Real Madrid): "Of course I wanted to say goodbye with this Champions League victory and that means an incredible amount to me. Dortmund played a very, very good first half. It took a long time today until we were the better team."

Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid): "They were the better team in the first half and could have been leading 2-0 or 3-0. We have to be honest about that. If you don't kill us, it will come back and haunt you. I have a lot of respect for both clubs. This one is very special to me now, the old one, too."

Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid): “In the first half, we were lucky. They played well, better than us. We played better in the second and we were decisive in key moments. In the first half, I didn't see how we were going to win. But we knew that during the later phases that we could harm them."

Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid): "It was a tough job. Respect to Dortmund, they did very well. Dortmund played very well and caused us a lot of problems."