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Henrikh Mkhitaryan: Important to win again

Borussia Dortmund’s summer recruits delivered the goods once again on Tuesday night as the Westphalians claimed a 2-0 extra-time win against a stubborn TSV 1860 Munich at a packed Allianz Arena.

The DFB Cup second-round victory was anything but routine, but the visitors’ pressure eventually paid off during the additional half-hour when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang andHenrikh Mkhitaryan netted to seal BVB’s passage through to the next round of the competition.

In an exclusive interview with bundesliga.com after the match, Mkhitaryan shared his thoughts on Dortmund’s display against the second-division side and discussed the Yellow-Blacks’ upcoming Bundesliga and Champions League fixtures.

bundesliga.com: How would you sum up Dortmund’s performance tonight?

Henrikh Mkhitaryan: It was difficult, because our opponents are a very good team and were defending very well. We had many chances, but we couldn’t make the most of them. In the end, we found some space to win the penalty and score the second goal. The most important thing is that we won today.

bundesliga.com: You say that, but wasn’t it a great feeling to score the second goal in front of the away supporters?

Mkhitaryan: (Smiling) I’m very happy. I had a lot of help from my team-mates – it was a very good pass from Jonas Hofmann – but the most important thing is that we won.

bundesliga.com: Were you expecting the atmosphere to be quite as intense as it was tonight?

Mkhitaryan: The home fans made an incredible atmosphere, but I would like to thank our supporters as well, because they came in numbers and supported us until the end. I’m happy we won this game for them.

bundesliga.com: How important was it for Dortmund to get back to winning ways tonight after failing to win either of the last two matches?

Mkhitaryan: I think in those two games we were a little unlucky, but the most important thing is that we came out of the situation and won today. Now we have to think about Freiburg – we have to win this game as well.

bundesliga.com: Speaking of Freiburg, would you say Dortmund are under greater pressure to beat them this Saturday after FC Bayern München gained two points on you last weekend?

Mkhitaryan: Of course. We have to win. It’s important because, after Freiburg, we have a Champions League game against Olympique de Marseille. If we beat Freiburg, we will be confident going into the next game.

Meanwhile, the BVB coach has said he’s delighted with the mettle his side showed in advancing after extra time.

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp hailed a “tough” win as his side booked their place in the third round of the DFB-Pokal on Tuesday.

And Klopp was pleased with number of opportunities his side created against a dogged 1860 side.

“We must and can win tough games,” said Klopp. “We had four great opportunities and hit the post and the crossbar.

“They (Munich) defended very deep, which is not easy for any team. If we had scored early it might have been different.”

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