Roman Burki concedes Borussia Dortmund came unstuck against a "beast" of a striker in Harry Kane as the Bundesliga leader went crashing out of the Champions League to Tottenham.
Dortmund's task at Signal Iduna Park was a daunting one considering its 3-0 reverse in the last-16 first leg at Wembley, but Spurs had Hugo Lloris to thank for a string of fine saves to maintain that advantage.
And England captain Kane ensured there would be no hope of a memorable comeback with a clinical one-on-one finish in the 48th minute to secure a 4-0 aggregate triumph.
Goalkeeper Burki believes an away goal could have made the difference but recognised the world-class talents of Kane.
"We knew it would be really difficult because of the loss in the first leg. Tottenham waited for their chance and with Harry Kane up front you can do that," he said.
"You know he will score and it was like that. It was unlucky for us, but we played very well, especially in the first half. We need to take the positive things out of this game for the Bundesliga.
"I think if we would have scored one goal in London the situation would have been completely different. In the end that is football. They had one chance and scored, we had five or six chances and didn't score.
"Harry Kane is a beast, a player every team would love to have."
Regaining momentum
It was the latest disappointment for a Dortmund side which has won just once in eight competitive outings, a run that has seen it exit the DFB-Pokal and Champions League, while Bayern Munich has pulled level with it at the top of the Bundesliga.
Star forward Marco Reus has now urged Lucien Favre's side to regain momentum, starting against Stuttgart on Saturday.
Building on performances
"We had an incredible number of chances to score, but the visiting goalkeeper also did very well," Reus added.
"After the goal the game was decided. I think we do not currently have the momentum on our side.
"We have to work to shoot and finish more often. Now we have to deliver in the next few weeks, it starts on Saturday."
That was a view echoed by Mario Gotze, who said: "When you saw how we approached the first half and how much energy there was in the stadium, that was very, very, very good, at a very high level.
"If we score a goal, we could have been satisfied. We did not succeed, but we have to build on this performance on Saturday."
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