Klopp unhappy as Dortmund reach semis
Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp admitted he was far from happy the German league leaders had to play in sub-zero temperatures in their 4-0 German Cup quarterfinal win at minnows Holstein Kiel.
"It was like ice hockey on grass," fumed Klopp as the live-screened match went ahead even though the pitch at Kiel's Holstein Stadion ground was partly frozen amidst temperatures of minus 18 celsius.
"The pitch was unplayable, but there was pressure from TV not to cancel the game.
"I was so tense that it was easy to fire up my players as if they were playing in a World Cup final.
"There was a great danger the players were going to get hurt."
Klopp's concern is understandable with his side two-points clear at the top of the German league and they face Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday in the Bundesliga.
Klopp started with Australian reserve goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak in a near first-choice side as the guests raced into a 2-0 lead after less than 20 minutes.
Poland striker Robert Lewandowski put Dortmund ahead in front of a sell-out 11 386 crowd when he reacted fastest to an over-head kick from Ivan Perisic to score in the 11th minute.
Kagawa doubled the lead seven minutes later when he took a great diagonal pass from Poland midfielder Lukasz Piszczek and slammed the ball into the top left-hand corner from the edge of the penalty area.
Dortmund were rarely tested by the minnows who had knocked top-flight Mainz out in the previous round and also beaten second division Duisburg and Energie Cottbus on the way to the last eight.
Just as he did in last Friday's 2-0 German league win at Nuremberg, Paraguay striker Lucas Barrios came off the bench midway through the second-half and scored Dortmund's third in the 80th minute.
Perisic, who provided the final pass for Lewandowski and Barrios to score, was rewarded for his efforts with the final goal on 87 minutes.
In the remaining quarterfinal matches to be played Wednesday, Bayern Munich are at VfB Stuttgart, Borussia Moenchengladbach - who eliminated holders Schalke 04 in the previous round - play at Hertha Berlin and second-division Greuther Fuerrth are at Hoffenheim.
The semifinals will be held on March 20 and 21, with the final to be held at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on May 12.