Klopp refuses to blame Dortmund after 'wild' Hamburg defeat

10-Feb-2013 12:25:00 AM

The BVB boss remained calm in the face of a heavy loss to HSV, but conceded that Robert Lewandowski's dismissal gave the visitors a crucial momentum

Jurgen Klopp has refused to pin the blame on his Borussia Dortmund players despite seeing them crash to a 4-1 home defeat at the hands of Hamburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Robert Lewandowski put the German champions in the driving seat early on, but the striker was later sent off, with Artjom Rudnevs' double and two goals from Heung-Min Son condemning BVB to a costly loss.

Speaking after the match, Klopp opted not to criticise his team and instead highlighted the high-octane nature of proceedings, although he did admit that the dismissal of his star man helped Hamburg seize the momentum that eventually proved decisive.

"The game had a lot of stories," Klopp told reporters. "Hamburg, from the outset, came into the game, and after going 2-1 up, the action was hectic and wild in light of Robert Lewandowski's dismissal.

"It was an unhappy ending for us. Our strength and morale diminished against a strong Hamburg."