The sight of smiling Borussia Dortmund players after a game has been a rare sight these days but their Champions League knockout qualification with a 4-1 win over Galatsaray on Tuesday provided much-needed confidence for a planned league comeback.
Dortmund made their best start to the Champions League with their fourth win in four Group D games. They also set a competition record with the best-ever goal difference after four matches, scoring 13 and letting in just one goal but the reality in the Bundesliga does not allow them to party too long.
Last season's Bundesliga runners-up are in 17th place and when they take on Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday they could have dropped to last place with other teams in action on Saturday. But their success in Europe has given them much-needed respite throughout their bad start in the domestic campaign with seven losses in 10 matches.
"We are taking a lot of self-confidence with us from this game," said midfielder Marco Reus, who scored their opener. "We were extremely calm and were very solid in our passing game. But we should not talk too much about it and instead keep showing what we can do on the pitch. On Sunday we have the chance to finally get three points at home."
It has inexplicably been a team of two faces this season with Dortmund, Champions League finalists in 2013, cruising to the next round with high quality football that has maintained their reputation as one of the most lethal attacking teams.
With a five-point lead over second-placed Arsenal, who they face next, Dortmund are eager to top their group in order to take on a second-place finisher in the round of 16.
"We are now through in the Champions League but we have not yet secured top spot," said coach Juergen Klopp. "We need one more game to do that and going to London to play for a draw would not be wise. In our situation at the moment we have to enjoy this victory. I really had to urge my players to do that because we must know how it feels to be successful in order to want more and we want to build on that feeling."
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