Dortmund proved themselves says Kehl

Sebastian Kehl believes Borussia Dortmund have finally proved their UEFA Champions League credentials after Wednesday's 2-1 victory against nine-time winners Real Madrid CF. The experienced midfielder told UEFA.com he was pleased to see Dortmund top of Group D and hailed the superb home crowd but Iker Casillas warned things could be different in a fortnight in Madrid.

Sebastian Kehl, Dortmund midfielder
We knew we had it in us to beat Real Madrid. It was always going to be tough, but I think we've earned some deserved respect in the Champions League now. It feels good to be top of a group like this but ultimately we haven't achieved anything yet. We still need a few more points but I'm confident we'll get them.

It's not every day you beat Real Madrid, so obviously the excitement among the crowd was huge. That said, there's always a great atmosphere in Dortmund so I wouldn't want to single this game out in that respect.

I just found out I was man of the match and although it's nice to hear, it's not that important to me personally. The important thing was we got the win and everyone contributed to a much-improved performance.

Roman Weidenfeller, Dortmund goalkeeper
It was a top-class match and we can be very proud of our performance. We were convincing from the very first minute and didn't show them too much respect. We looked to get forward and were rewarded in the end.

It's a great feeling [to be top] but we have to look ahead. Nothing's been decided in this group yet. Obviously the table looks a lot better now from our point of view, but we need to keep going. We've still got some very difficult games ahead.

Neven Subotić, Dortmund defender
What can I say? It's the kind of thing you dream of as a kid. It was clear ahead of the game that we were up against one of the best teams in the world and we wanted to show we could play on a par, which we managed to do. To get a victory like this against a team like that in front of your own fans – it's something that will remain long in the memory.

It was extremely difficult to stay focused against players of that quality. They can pick out the most intricate passes. You can't afford to give them a yard of space. We punished them for their mistakes and did well, but it was really, really hard work.

If we keep playing like this we can go far, but I don't want to look that far ahead yet. For now, I'm just happy that if my career ends tomorrow, I can say to my kids that we beat Real Madrid. Unfortunately there'll be no partying tonight, though. It's straight to sleep for me.

Iker Casillas, Madrid goalkeeper
We went behind at a point in the game when we were actually in control. We quickly got back in the game, but in the second half they had a good spell and got the second goal.

A win today would have helped take the pressure off the final few games, but Dortmund were not undeserving winners and now it's up to us to put things right.

The return fixture in Madrid is obviously going to be very important for us now. They've taken over top spot and we want to win it back. It's going to be a different game at the Bernabéu and they'll certainly have a tougher time of it than they did at home, but they know that too.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Madrid forward
We expected a tough game and Dortmund certainly made sure of that. They were a bit lucky with the second goal, but it's no reason for us to panic. We've still got several games to get the points we need.

It's always 50-50 when two great teams play against one another and tonight we were on the losing side. Losing is part and parcel of football. Both teams have some very good attacking players, we saw that much today. I'm sure it was a great match for the fans, less so for us.

Xabi Alonso, Madrid midfielder
We came here expecting an even contest. Dortmund have enjoyed a lot of success in Germany over the past couple of seasons.

Both teams had chances to win the match. I think a draw would probably have been a fair result, but Dortmund worked very hard to their win. They played very well at both ends of the pitch and got that little bit of luck for their second goal.

We've lost tonight, but there's still everything to play for in this group. We lost against a very good opponent in front of an amazing crowd and that just gives us more motivation to win the next match.