In the dressing room, the atmosphere was somber. The players were quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. Klopp let the silence hang in the air for a moment, then spoke.
"I am proud of you tonight," he said, his voice full of emotion. "I am proud of the way you fought, the way you played, the way you never gave up. We lost the match, but we did not lose the tie. We have an away goal. We have a chance. And in three weeks, at our home, with our fans behind us, we will turn this around."
He looked around the room, his eyes burning with a fierce belief. "This is not over. This is just the beginning. Now, let's go home, let's rest, and let's prepare for the war that is to come."
---
On the flight back to Dortmund, Mateo couldn't sleep. He replayed the match in his mind, over and over again. The missed chances, the defensive lapses, the moments of brilliance, the moments of frustration.
He pulled out his journal and began to write.
February 24, 2015
