Dortmund want to get better every day – Favre eyes improvement despite 5-1 rout

Borussia Dortmund head coach Lucien Favre said his Bundesliga hopefuls can get even better following their 5-1 demolition of Augsburg.

Last season’s runners-up Dortmund recorded their biggest-ever opening-day victory in the club’s 52 seasons in the Bundesliga thanks to Saturday’s rout of visiting Augsburg.

Florian Niederlechner gave Augsburg a shock first-minute lead, but that advantage was wiped out by Dortmund’s Paco Alcacer two minutes later at Signal-Iduna Park.

It was one-way traffic from that point as Dortmund – who surrendered a nine-point lead to Bayern Munich last season – pilled on four unanswered goals in the second half via Jadon Sancho, captain Marco Reus, Alcacer and Julian Brandt.

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— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) August 17, 2019

“We upped the tempo in the second period, which was very good,” Favre told Sky. “The result was then clear and deserved. But we also still have a few things to work on.

“We want to get better every day. What’s important for me is that the players make progress – both individually and collectively too.

Reus, who scored Dortmund’s third goal 12 minutes into the second half, added: “There was a lot of excitement to be playing our first game at home. The stadium was sold out and the fans were immense once again; especially after we went 1-0 down, they were extremely loud.

“We never doubted we could win this match. It obviously wasn’t all perfect, we would’ve liked to have gone 2-1 up before the interval. At the break we said we needed to play with more purpose. That’s how we then created our chances.

“The fact we were playing towards the South Stand in the second half gave us the push we needed, as it always does. You get the feeling you can apply even more pressure, that you’re more on your game. We’re happy we scored four goals in front of the South Stand.”

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— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) August 17, 2019

Germany international Nico Schulz made his Bundesliga debut for Dortmund, alongside fellow new signings Mats Hummels and Thorgan Hazard, after arriving from Hoffenheim in the off-season.

“That was a very, very good start,” Schulz said. “We went about the match the way we’d set out to. We kept our cool after conceding and we’re delighted to get our first three points. We went 2-1 ahead relatively early and we had more space after that. Then it got slightly easier for us.

“The chants by the fans are an honour for me, of course. Obviously, the best way to pay them back will be with my performances.”