Borussia Dortmund refuse to blame haircuts for Champions League defeat to Tottenham

The Bundesliga leaders conceded two late goals in the 3-0 loss to severely damage their hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals

Jack Rathborn
Friday 15 February 2019 11:11 EST
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Mauricio Pochettino hails Spurs as 'heroes' after Dortmund win

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Borussia Dortmund have refused to blame the visit of a hairdresser for their crushing 3-0 defeat to Tottenham.

The Bundesliga leaders were stunned by Spurs at Wembley after two late goals condemned them to a heavy 3-0 loss, leaving them with a mountain to climb heading back to the Westfalenstadion.

The German media has speculated that focus was not as it should have been in the Dortmund camp as a hairdresser visited the team the day before the match, with several players sitting in the chair.

CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has dismissed that suggestion but admitted the incident will be reviewed.

“It certainly has no influence on a team’s performance. There are sporting reasons for our defeat, and we need to analyse them,” Watzke told BILD.

“It’s clear the defeat also leads to a critical media view of the hairdresser’s visit. And that’s why [sporting director] Michael Zorc and [squad manager] Sebastian Kehl will review this with the players.”

Nurnberg are next for Lucien Favre’s side in the Bundesliga, having seen their lead over Bayern Munich cut to just five points.

A dejected Borussia Dortmund react after defeat to Spurs
A dejected Borussia Dortmund react after defeat to Spurs (REUTERS)

Dortmund are now four games without a win, having conceded nine in their last three games.

Christian Pulisic has not given up on the tie vs Spurs though, insisting the belief is there to pull off a remarkable comeback.

Fernando Llorente’s goal could have put the tie out of reach for Dortmund
Fernando Llorente’s goal could have put the tie out of reach for Dortmund (Getty)

“This team’s never going to give up, especially going home,” said Pulisic. "We’re confident we can score three goals. It’s not going to be easy.

“I’m not going to stand here and say we’re going to win — but we’re going to go out there, we’re going to fight and we believe. That’s all we can do.”

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