The massive stadium had all but emptied, apart from the Bayern fans in the corner. Arjen Robben was still on the touchlines giving interviews, but he had to raise his voice to make himself heard above the fans chanting his name. The Dutch superstar has given Reds supporters plenty to cheer in recent months, especially in games against Borussia Dortmund.
Arjen scored a superb winner in the DFB Cup quarter-final in the spring, and his last-minute goal in the Champions League final at Wembley will be remembered for eternity. And now, in Saturday evening’s 3-0 victory at Signal Iduna Park, his cultured chip over Roman Weidenfeller with five minutes to play finally settled an otherwise tight encounter. “If it was up to me, I’d be fine with playing Dortmund every week,” the player quipped.
In the last four competitive meetings with Borussia, Arjen has been directly involved in six goals (five goals, one assist). “I love games like this,” he commented, explaining his influential contribution to the biggest matches. “These are the games you dream of when you’re a little boy - in stadiums like this, with this atmosphere, against this kind of opposing team. What more do you want?“
Minor celebration
Robben’s enthusiasm was obvious from the start, although the 29-year-old and his team-mates needed a while before opening up the determined home team. When it came, his goal was a beauty. After Thiago’s “superb pass“, Robben hared down the inside left channel. The angle was tight, but the Dutchman’s sublime touch allowed him to lift the ball over the Dortmund keeper and in at the far corner. “Not a bad finish,” Robben grinned.
The Dutchman jogged to the Bayern fans and struck a pose while his team-mates joined him. “I was proud, I was happy, and I just enjoyed the moment,” Robben recalled, adding that the important factors in a big game were “to enjoy it and to perform.” The player felt the team had delivered for long spells, and at the end of the day “the details“ decided it.
“We’ve taken a big step today,” continued the winger, although he deliberately added a few words of context: “Let’s not forget it was only 1-0 until five minutes from the end, and Dortmund had chances to win it as well. We need to keep both feet on the ground.” But for all the words of warning, it was still a very good win: “We can definitely afford to celebrate a little now!”
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