Niko Kovac reveals touchline instruction behind late DFB-Pokal winner

Niko Kovac reveals touchline instruction behind late DFB-Pokal winner Borussia Dortmund booked their place in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Werder Bremen, sealed by Marcel Sabitzer’s stoppage-time free-kick. Dortmund appeared firmly in control after Serhou Guirassy and Carney Chukwuemeka established a 2-0 first-half lead. Former BVB striker Niclas Füllkrug then struck twice after the break to bring Bremen level before Sabitzer settled the tie in the third minute of stoppage time. The Austrian midfielder scored directly from a free-kick after receiving conflicting instructions from the Dortmund touchline and his own teammates. “It was totally crazy. Actually, Schlotti {Nico Schlotterbeck} had told Sabi {Marcel Sabitzer} to let Daniel {Svensson} cross the ball—in other words, to cross it away from the goal. I then shouted from the sideline, ‘Sabi, please shoot!’ Because I know what kind of shot he has. He listened to the coach, and he deserves credit for that,” Kovac said in a ZDF interview. Sabitzer follows Kovac’s instructions Sabitzer subsequently confirmed that Kovac’s call from the touchline helped convince him to take responsibility. “I heard something from the sidelines. The coach told me to shoot. That gave me even more confidence to do it. Schlotti waved me off inside the box, but I told him afterward: ‘Don’t ever do that again—you saw what happened.’” The late winner continued Dortmund’s recent resurgence following a difficult run that included successive Bundesliga draws and a Champions League defeat. A 2-1 Champions League victory over Sabah FK began the turnaround before Dortmund edged Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 in the Bundesliga. The win over Bremen now makes it three consecutive victories across all competitions. BVB will next turn their attention to Saturday’s Bundesliga showdown with Bayern Munich, heading into the fixture with renewed momentum after another hard-fought victory. GGFN | Brook Genene