Gross wants more after laying on two assists on dream Dortmund debut

Pascal Gross believes he has room for improvement despite starting his Borussia Dortmund career with two assists in Saturday’s routine DFB-Pokal win over Phonix Lubeck.

Gross teed up first-half goals for fellow new signing Waldemar Anton and Julian Brandt as Dortmund advanced to the competition’s second round with a 4-1 win over their fourth-tier hosts.

He is the first player on record (since the 2008-09 season) to record two assists on his first Pokal appearance for BVB.

He also created the joint-most chances of any player on the pitch (three, alongside Brandt), while his 154 accurate passes were only bettered by Niklas Sule (191).

As Nuri Sahin’s side prepare for their Bundesliga opener against Eintracht Frankfurt next week, the former Brighton and Hove Albion man believes there is more to come.

“There was no alternative but to win the match. We played a good game in the first period and showed some good ideas, but we can and must improve,” he told Sky Sports Germany.

“I also have room for improvement. It was my first match, it was decent. I want to get to know my team-mates better every day.

“My job is to carry our play from back to front, to give it a certain stability and to set our attacking weapons in motion.”

Most passes in a DFB-Pokal match on record (since 2008-09):

Niklas Süle – 196 vs. Phönix Lübeck (2024, 97% accuracy)
Nuri Sahin – 184 against 1860 Munich (2013, 93%)
Granit Xhaka – 183 vs. Arminia Bielefeld (2015, 85%)

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Sahin’s first competitive game in charge saw BVB dominate possession with an 85.2% share, with Sule (196) attempting the most passes of any player in a Pokal match on record.

Sahin himself was the previous record holder, having attempted 184 passes for Dortmund versus 1860 Munich in 2013.

“It’s important to play in a dominant way in the first round and not let anything go to waste,” the former midfielder said.

Asked about the defensive lapse that led to Phonix pulling a goal back early in the second half, he added: “We played over 1,000 passes, so concentration can sometimes drop in a game like this.”