Peter Stöger Slams Dortmund's Performance in Salzburg Draw As BVB Drop Out of Europa League

Borussia Dortmund manager Peter Stöger did not mince his words after his side ended their Europa League campaign, recording a goalless draw on the day and

Borussia Dortmund manager Peter Stöger did not mince his words after his side ended their Europa League campaign, recording a goalless draw on the day and losing 2-1 on aggregate to Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg.

The Austrian side - undefeated since August - drove at the German outfit with intensity and vigour, and quite easily nullified any threat from a Dortmund team that appeared bereft of ideas.

"The first half was really bad," said the Dortmund manager after the match, as quoted by Dortmund's website. "We had not adjusted to what awaited us.

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"It was clear that Salzburg would be aggressive and give us little time. If you are so sedate then you need not be surprised that you do not get a chance."

After a milquetoast performance by Marco Reus and Mario Gotze in the first half, Stöger decided to replace the star duo with Alexander Isak and Maximilian Philipp at half-time.

The Dortmund boss stated that the Bundesliga outfit found it tough to match Salzburg's impressive performance. He said in his post-match press conference: "We made life difficult for ourselves.

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"There are only two possibilities: One is to play the existing playful quality. If that does not work, there is a second area, which is covered by diligence and duels. The first area was not fulfilled, and the second area was not accepted."

Dortmund's attacking midfielder André Schürrle echoed his gaffer's words, and hailed BVB keeper Roman Bürki's heroic efforts to keep the team in the game after a string of high-quality saves.

The ex-Chelsea man said, "Today we were lucky that we had a goalkeeper who kept us in the game until the very end. We lacked all courage and energy."