Borussia Dortmund ended their home campaign in style, securing a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday night to lock in second place in the Bundesliga. While much of the evening's emotion centered around the farewells of sporting director Sebastian Kehl and three departing players, head coach Niko Kovac took a moment to reflect on the match itself.

"We saw a very good finish to this last home game with a nice and deserved victory," Kovac said. The Croatian tactician was candid about his team's slow start, admitting they were "caught cold right at the beginning." However, he praised their resilience: "We had the game under control after 15 minutes, and scoring the goals before half-time was crucial. The second half was an open contest from both sides."

Kovac summed up his feelings with a mix of honesty and satisfaction: "The way the team has acted, I liked it except for the first 15 minutes. That's why I'm happy we finished the season in second place. You can be very happy with 70 points."

Dortmund will close out their season with an away trip to Werder Bremen, where captain Julian Brandt—who is set to leave the club—will face his hometown team. The result means the Black and Yellows end a fifth consecutive season without silverware, but Kovac's men have shown the grit and character that could form the foundation for future success.