Borussia Dortmund grind out vital win as Niko Kovac admits 'luck' made the difference

The win was no display of attacking flair, yet Dortmund demonstrated the grit necessary to claim all three points on the road in Bavaria.

In his post-match assessment, Kovac expressed satisfaction with his side's mentality, while acknowledging the performance fell short of his tactical blueprint.

"Today we saw exactly what I expected: a hard-fought match from both sides," the Dortmund head coach explained. "We didn't quite manage to play the way I had envisioned, but that was also down to Augsburg, who made life very difficult for us. Given how the goal came about, we were just that little bit luckier today."

The breakthrough arrived late in the second half, with Serhou Guirassy ending his four-game Bundesliga scoring drought by capitalizing on a defensive error to fire home the winner.

For Kovac, prevailing in such gritty encounters underscored the team's growth. "Even if it wasn't pretty, you simply have to win these close games, and we did exactly that," he emphasized. "We did that, and now we can concentrate on the next task."

Midfielder Pascal Gross, who earned a start in the engine room, mirrored his manager's reflections and highlighted Dortmund's improved resilience relative to the prior campaign. "These are three important points. You have to win games like this away from home. We didn't manage that last year," Gross told Sky Germany.

"Now we're finding ways to get the points, even when things aren't perfect."

With the Bundesliga momentum secured, Dortmund now pivot to the UEFA Champions League, traveling to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, a stern examination of their continental ambitions.

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