'Naive' Dortmund hope to learn from dropped points in Juve draw

Borussa Dortmund hope to learn from being "naive" when they should have been "more mature" in the closing stages of their Champions League thriller at Juventus where they squandered a two-goal lead in stoppage time.

Dortmund finally seemed on course in Turin when Yan Couto put them ahead for the third time in the 74th minute and Ramy Bensebaini converted an 86th-minute penalty for a 4-2 lead.

But Dusan Vlahovic pulled one back in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and Juve then got the 4-4 equalizer from Lloyd Kelly in a match with all goals in the second half.

"I think we were a little naive in the final minutes. It is a bitter realisation to give away what we thought was a certain victory,” sporting director Sebastian Kehl said.

Goalkeeper Greogor Kobel said: “We're disappointed. We had to win the game. We can't concede two goals in stoppage time. We can't allow ourselves to end up with a draw after playing such a great game.

"The result, getting one point, is okay, but we had the chance to get three.

"We needed to see the game over the line in a cooler and more composed manner. You just have to defend. You have the ball, you kick it forward, you run down the clock – and that's it. We just have to play more mature football. It's just something you have to learn."

It was a somewhat bittersweet point for Dortmund who had also squandered a two-goal lead late on in their Bundesliga season-opening 3-3 draw at St Pauli.

Dortmund are unbeaten second in the league with the next game against Wolfsburg on Sunday while their next Champions League date is on October 1 against Athletic Bilbao.

Dortmund finished fourth last season thanks to a strong final weeks after earlier inconsistency, an issue that they have still not come to terms with - being good in attack in Turin but showing defensive weakness.

However, Kehl as well as coach Niko Kovac refused to be too downcast and wanted to highlight the positives.

"I'm actually satisfied with the team's performance overall, even though that may sound a tad strange after the final minutes. We played well, didn't allow them many chances and kept coming back after Juve's goals. We will continue on this path,” Kehl said.

Kovac spoke of a "nerve-wracking" game as he said: "The last four minutes weren't good. That's what hurts so much. But compliments to the boys nonetheless.

"I saw many good things and am taking those with me. And I won't let anyone take that away from me," Kovac added.