Jurgen Klopp praised his Borussia Dortmund side for their performance to beat Real Madrid 4-1 on Wednesday evening.
Four goals from Robert Lewandowski settled the first leg of this Champions League semi-final heavily in the favour of the Germans.
“It was an unbelievable display from my team. Madrid are very strong and it was never going to be an easy game,” began Klopp to reporters post-match.
“For the first 25 minutes we were great. Then we lost our way a bit and let them back into the match. At half-time we spoke and I urged the players to start playing the way we had early on, which we did and we were much better.
“I can't explain how to say it in English, but it was like something clicked in the second half.
“I gave all my players a hug, because they fully deserved it. That was pure football tonight, my players were unstoppable.
“We lost the plot a bit after 25 minutes, however, and the players were a bit unsettled, which led to the equaliser. I told them at half-time that nothing had happened and that we would now need to score a goal in Madrid which was our plan anyway.
“A great performance in the second half followed. I've never seen such a great goal as [Robert Lewandowski] ‘Lewy’s’ third – that was absolutely amazing.
“An all-German final surely seems a bit more likely now after the first legs, but we know that we still have a tough match ahead in Madrid. It was a great experience which will remain a lasting memory for everyone involved, no matter what happens in the return leg.
“The bad thing about having a first and second leg is that we still need to play a game in Madrid. Therefore, we need to keep calm and not go crazy after this game.
“We all know that it won't be a walk in the park in Madrid. [Mario] Gotze put in a fantastic performance.
“We looked a bit unsettled when we conceded the goal. However, if we had not conceded that equaliser, I doubt we would have scored three goals in the second half.
“We cranked up a gear in the second half and were able to avoid making more mistakes.”
