Reus gives credit to Gotze for hat-trick
Marco Reus may have scored a hat-trick as Borussia Dortmund dismantled Eintracht Frankfurt but the forward was more impressed with Mario Gotze's midfield showing.
By FOX Sports Staff
The former Borussia Monchengladbach star scored his first hat-trick for the Borussians, taking his Bundesliga goals tally to 12 this season.
However, Gotze was equally influential within the game and contributed assists for two of his team-mate's goals.
The only sour point of note within the game was Julian Schieber's sending-off after collecting two yellow cards. The striker was a replacement for Robert Lewandowski who himself is serving a three-match ban after a red card.
After the game, though, Reus chose to focus on the positives and hailed his younger team-mate.
"It's an honour to play alongside Gotze. You could see in both his assists what he is all about, and he is so young still," the 23-year-old told Sky Germany.
"I'm more delighted that we won the game [than my hat-trick]. Frankfurt are a very strong side."
Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for his side after the win.
An early red card for Julian Schieber meant Dortmund had to work even harder for their win, which came just days after a tiring trip to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.
"It was a really, really strong performance," said Klopp. "To be able to play like this after the intensive game in Donetsk is incredibly good and it also makes us proud."
Klopp was a little disgruntled about his side's fourth red card in their last four home matches, though.
The Dortmund coach felt neither of the yellow cards shown to Schieber should have been given and he vented his frustration on the touchline, to no avail.
Speaking about Schieber's second yellow card, Klopp told Sky television: "There is no doubt he made contact, but it was one of those moments where he has momentum in the jump.
"It's incredibly difficult also for a referee to make a decision. A few weeks ago, we met with a referee and all of the coaches asked for them to be a bit more lenient about incidents like this and not keep showing cards.
"The player has just jumped high and nobody gets the impression that he intentionally wants to harm the opponent.
"(For the first yellow card) he did not even touch him, but (Carlos) Zambrano falls like he has been hit by an axe and that is the problem.
"It's tough for the referee, but it was not a yellow card."