After leading Dortmund to a 3-2 home victory over Villarreal in the Champions League group stage, head coach Niko Kovač attended the post-match press conference.

Niko, first of all, I'd like you to summarize today's victory and share your thoughts on it. Please go ahead.

Alright, good evening everyone. It's nearly midnight now. I believe we all witnessed a spectacular football show tonight. My team performed excellently on the pitch, demonstrating a very high level of competitive play. We knew beforehand that this would be an extremely difficult match because our opponent is truly a very strong and formidable side. But my team showed tremendous fighting spirit on the pitch tonight, with excellent defending and intensity, and a powerful response.

In my opinion, our victory tonight is fully deserved because we demonstrated all the qualities and tactical capabilities we have in this match, playing at the high standard we expect. In the first half, our ball possession was excellent, with good passing and team coordination throughout, executing several wonderful combinations. And in the second half, we created many excellent scoring chances. Of course, it's undeniable that the opponent also had one or two very dangerous opportunities, more than I initially anticipated. Perhaps the only regrettable thing is conceding two goals from set plays.

But in any case, ultimately, the most important thing is that we secured all three points in our first home Champions League match, winning at home against such a strong opponent. Considering our next two matches are successive away challenges, today's home victory becomes even more important for us. Thank you very much, and that concludes my opening statement.

Coach, first congratulations on tonight's victory. However, one concerning incident did occur on the pitch—Carecas had to be substituted off early in the match. Do you have any updates on his injury or physical condition at this moment?

Not yet. As Sven mentioned just now, we're still waiting on further information and medical assessments. He was experiencing circulatory issues at that moment. He's currently on his way to the hospital, or has already arrived, and is undergoing further medical examination. Regarding the specific test results and detailed diagnostic report, I cannot provide more information at this time.

However, we informed the other players during halftime that his overall condition is stable and everything is fine. Obviously, his teammates on the pitch at that moment would have been very worried, wondering how serious his condition might be. But since we don't yet have a detailed report, I cannot say more, and I hope you understand. I really cannot say much about Carecas' situation at this moment.

Coach, I'd like to ask about two other players. Today, Guirassy scored twice and was very impressive—by the way, I was warned at the previous press conference that I was too close to the microphone, so now I'm standing a bit further back—and Silva also provided an assist tonight. We noticed these two celebrating together and seeming to have great chemistry. So in upcoming matches, would you consider playing them together as a striking partnership at some point? Because based on their current performance, their understanding and coordination really are excellent.

That's right, we switched to a two-striker system during the match. As you can see, we're not limited to playing with one striker and two wingers, but can also effectively implement a two-striker tactical system, which gives us excellent flexibility and versatility in our tactical options.

Fabio has performed very well, and I'm truly happy for him. He continues to improve and develop. He's doing everything he does best: tireless fighting and running all over the pitch for the team, creating attacking opportunities and providing assists—exactly the ability our team desperately needs right now.

If we relied solely on Guirassy throughout the entire season, it would certainly become very difficult as the season progresses. Although Guirassy is truly an indispensable and vital player for us, if we also have another option in Fabio who can step up and contribute to the team—and he's really doing that now—then I believe our attacking depth and tactical options become very strong.

Thank you. I have another question about a different player—Nwaneri, who came on as a substitute but was later substituted off. Was this planned, for instance, that he would only play around 50 to 55 minutes?

I saw him come on around the 27th minute and then come off at the 82nd minute. That's actually a very simple calculation; we don't need to overthink it. But one thing is clear: he gave everything on the pitch and put in maximum effort. If he had started today, he probably would have had to come off around the 60th minute anyway. So this substitution had no negative implications whatsoever; on the contrary, his performance tonight was excellent.

I could clearly see that he really exhausted himself on the pitch without holding back anything. The main reason we substituted him at that point was that the opponent was applying considerable pressure in the final minutes, and we needed to inject fresh energy into the team. It's really gratifying to see him come on quickly in such a short spell and immediately have a positive impact on our team's tactics, attack, and defense.

Niko, regarding the moment Carecas collapsed, could you elaborate a bit more on what was going through your mind at that time? I recall Mats Hummels saying he felt a chill seeing that. As head coach, especially considering the injuries your team has suffered this season, what was going through your mind on the bench at that moment?

Yes, that moment was truly painful to see. He suddenly sat down, then directly collapsed on the grass. At the beginning of this season and last season—I don't recall the exact timing myself—our entire squad participated in a first aid training course. Each of us should participate in such first aid training at some point in life. During that course, we watched some first aid instructional videos, so when I saw him collapse on the pitch, I noticed his condition had many similarities to the scenarios in those videos that required first aid, which is why I felt quite worried and frightened in the technical area at that moment.

Fortunately, however, when the young player was treated on the sideline, his overall condition appeared to stabilize significantly, and there don't seem to be any major issues—at least I haven't observed any other concerning signs at this time.

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