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Reus and Mkhitaryan praise revived Dortmund

Confidence was restored for Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan after the scalp of SSC Napoli, who can still progress says Lorenzo Insigne.

Reus and Mkhitaryan praise revived Dortmund
Reus and Mkhitaryan praise revived Dortmund ©UEFA.com

Marco Reus said a "more aggressive" display from Borussia Dortmund was the reason behind their UEFA Champions League Group F success against SSC Napoli. The German international scored from the spot and set up Jakub Błaszczykowski as the Bundesliga outfit ended their three-match losing streak – and Reus felt the margin of victory was deserved. His midfield cohort Henrikh Mkhitaryan was encouraged by the number of chances BVB created, while Napoli's players stressed the positives despite losing to a team they described as one of the best on the continent.

Marco Reus, Dortmund forward
I think we were a lot more aggressive tonight than we were against Bayern at the weekend. We forced a lot more chances which was important for us. We started well and gained confidence through the early goal and once we hit our stride I thought we deserved to win 3-1.

It would have been nice to have scored our second or third goals earlier to calm things down, but to be honest I am just happy we are creating the chances in the first place. We did not let our heads drop [when we missed openings], we kept getting forward and remained dangerous. 'Auba' [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang] got the third goal for us and that was important. It showed why [Roman Weidenfeller] is an international-class goalkeeper with that save [from Gonzalo Higuaín]. Things could have been very different had that gone in, but we won 3-1 and the first of our two finals is out of the way.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Dortmund midfielder
I think it was a great performance from Borussia Dortmund. All my team-mates did a great job. We needed to win this game because we lost our last three, so we had to win tonight. I would have liked to have scored but I was not able to and there is nothing I can do about it. I have to keep working and not give up. I need to do my best to help the team. It is not important whether I score or not, the most important thing is that the team win.

We created a lot of chances, even when the score was 2-1 because there were more spaces in the Napoli defence. We were able to counterattack more, which we managed to do and scored the third. We are really confident [about progressing] but Marseille are a really difficult opponent. It does not matter that they have lost all their games. They will be doing everything they can to get a point, or even three, against us but we know how to play against them and I think we can get a result.

Sebastian Kehl, Dortmund midfielder
We were all celebrating at the end because we were delighted with the result. It was nervy for long periods and we should have sewn it up a lot earlier, but we conceded a silly goal and in the end it got a bit hectic. Even so, the important thing tonight was to win by two goals. It is in our hands now and we will be heading to Marseille to try and get the victory.

We spoke about the various permutations before the match, so we knew that winning by two clear goals would be a lot more helpful than just a 1-0 victory. It is in our hands now and it is going to be a tough match in Marseille but Napoli still have to beat Arsenal, so it is going to be exciting whatever happens.

Lorenzo Insigne, Napoli midfielder
We were unlucky to lose here tonight. We played well, especially in the second half. Before their second goal we were close to getting an equaliser and I think it would have been deserved. Obviously I am pleased with my goal, but it was bittersweet. Still, I am confident because we put in a good performance and we are still in with a shout. We will be giving our all with our home fans behind us in our final game and even against a top team like Arsenal, anything is possible.

Goran Pandev, Napoli forward
We were up against a great side and we held our own, even if we did not exactly get off to the best of starts. We showed once again that we are growing as a team and that we can compete with the best teams in Europe. We believe in our strengths and we will be doing everything we can to qualify in our final game. We certainly have the quality.

Federico Fernández, Napoli defender
We gave our all and performed at a very high level against one of the best teams in Europe. Still, it is a shame we were not able to take something from the game. Even when they were ahead we kept on creating chances and could easily have equalised. Do not write us off just yet. There is still a long way to go in this season's Champions League and we are still in the hunt.

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