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Bender: “I just had to stick my leg out to it”

Sven Bender’s spectacular goal-line clearance from Arjen Robben’s shot in the 63rd minute was indicative of Borussia Dortmund’s intrinsic winning mentality. Bender’s sliding effort prevented the current champions from going 3-1 up. It was a moment that changed the game as BVB went on to win 3-2 and secure their place in the DFB Cup final on 27th May in Berlin. In an interview with DFB.de, the Olympic silver medalist takes a look back at his reflex clearance, Dortmund’s mentality and his side’s chances of lifting the trophy against Eintracht Frankfurt.

DFB.de: Sven Bender, what was your view of that critical moment in the 63rd minute, when you deflected the ball onto the post with the tips of your toes?

Sven Bender: (laughs) I didn’t get a good look. I went back behind Roman Bürki since I saw that he was standing slightly out of his goal. I took a gamble that Arjen Robben would go for the corner. After that I lost my view of it though because I had no idea where the ball then went to. I just heard the post, then looked and saw that the ball hadn’t gone in. That is exactly the kind of luck you need in a cup game.

DFB.de: Does a last-gasp clearance like that basically count as a goal for a defender?

Bender: Well you know full well the quality I have going forward… (laughs).

DFB.de: Did that moment pave the way for you to go on and win the game?

Bender: That would have made it 3-1 to Bayern which would have made things very difficult. I’m glad it played out that way and I’m pleased I was able to stretch my foot out a little further than I usually would.

DFB.de: It still looked as if Bayern would go on to win it when the score was 2-1 at half-time. What was said in the changing room at the break?

Bender: We started the game really well but we have to acknowledge that Bayern controlled the game after that until half-time so there were a few things we needed to address. We said to ourselves that nothing was decided yet. The manager also changed things up a little bit. We came out a lot better in the second half and tried to control the game. We were able to do that and after our two goals it became a really open game.

DFB.de Bayern also let their levels drop physically as the match went on. Or is that not how it actually was on the pitch?

Bender: I can’t really judge that. We were more up for it, we showed good quality coupled with a strong mentality. We combined both excellently.

DFB.de: Does your fourth DFB Cup final in a row represent the return of that ruthless winning mentality of the past at BVB?

Bender: That’s difficult to say but I think that being mentally prepared is important in any game and we certainly had that on the day. We put so much into that game. Of course we got lucky at times but that’s what the cup is all about. At the end of the day we’re delighted to have won and be heading back in Berlin for the final.

DFB.de: You’ll have the words “Immer wieder BVB” [“It’s BVB again”] written on your shirts for the final. What makes you and the rest of the squad confident that Dortmund are the next team to lift the trophy after losing in the final three times in a row?

Bender: I think it’s our turn this year. We’ve got a fantastic group and we demonstrated that again in the semi-final. We have a lot of quality, a brilliant mentality and we’ve definitely got a lot of experience of playing in the final of the DFB Cup. We need to make sure we exploit that experience so that we can finally lift that trophy again.


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Sven Bender’s spectacular goal-line clearance from Arjen Robben’s shot in the 63rd minute was indicative of Borussia Dortmund’s intrinsic winning mentality. Bender’s sliding effort prevented the current champions from going 3-1 up. It was a moment that changed the game as BVB went on to win 3-2 and secure their place in the DFB Cup final on 27th May in Berlin. In an interview with DFB.de, the Olympic silver medalist takes a look back at his reflex clearance, Dortmund’s mentality and his side’s chances of lifting the trophy against Eintracht Frankfurt.

DFB.de: Sven Bender, what was your view of that critical moment in the 63rd minute, when you deflected the ball onto the post with the tips of your toes?

Sven Bender: (laughs) I didn’t get a good look. I went back behind Roman Bürki since I saw that he was standing slightly out of his goal. I took a gamble that Arjen Robben would go for the corner. After that I lost my view of it though because I had no idea where the ball then went to. I just heard the post, then looked and saw that the ball hadn’t gone in. That is exactly the kind of luck you need in a cup game.

DFB.de: Does a last-gasp clearance like that basically count as a goal for a defender?

Bender: Well you know full well the quality I have going forward… (laughs).

DFB.de: Did that moment pave the way for you to go on and win the game?

Bender: That would have made it 3-1 to Bayern which would have made things very difficult. I’m glad it played out that way and I’m pleased I was able to stretch my foot out a little further than I usually would.

DFB.de: It still looked as if Bayern would go on to win it when the score was 2-1 at half-time. What was said in the changing room at the break?

Bender: We started the game really well but we have to acknowledge that Bayern controlled the game after that until half-time so there were a few things we needed to address. We said to ourselves that nothing was decided yet. The manager also changed things up a little bit. We came out a lot better in the second half and tried to control the game. We were able to do that and after our two goals it became a really open game.

DFB.de Bayern also let their levels drop physically as the match went on. Or is that not how it actually was on the pitch?

Bender: I can’t really judge that. We were more up for it, we showed good quality coupled with a strong mentality. We combined both excellently.

DFB.de: Does your fourth DFB Cup final in a row represent the return of that ruthless winning mentality of the past at BVB?

Bender: That’s difficult to say but I think that being mentally prepared is important in any game and we certainly had that on the day. We put so much into that game. Of course we got lucky at times but that’s what the cup is all about. At the end of the day we’re delighted to have won and be heading back in Berlin for the final.

DFB.de: You’ll have the words “Immer wieder BVB” [“It’s BVB again”] written on your shirts for the final. What makes you and the rest of the squad confident that Dortmund are the next team to lift the trophy after losing in the final three times in a row?

Bender: I think it’s our turn this year. We’ve got a fantastic group and we demonstrated that again in the semi-final. We have a lot of quality, a brilliant mentality and we’ve definitely got a lot of experience of playing in the final of the DFB Cup. We need to make sure we exploit that experience so that we can finally lift that trophy again.

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