Jose Mourinho admitted Borussia Dortmund were the better side and Real Madrid deserve to lose the Champions League first leg semifinal, while Jurgen Klopp hailed his "unstoppable" players' "unbelievable display."
Real Madrid were sent to the brink of elimination by a stunning performance from Dortmund, who defeated the Spanish giants 4-1 at Westfalenstadion.
Robert Lewandowski was the main man, scoring all four goals, with the consolation goal for Real Madrid coming from Cristiano Ronaldo.
"They were the better side by far," Real Madrid manager Mourinho said. "They won their individual battles. They were better organised than us, better physically and better mentally.
"The game went from 1-1 to 4-1 in such a short space of time. We lost possession easily and couldn't cope with their transitions and speed on the break.
"We know everything about them and everything about Lewandowski, but we lost him for three of his goals, which is not good enough. When you lose and you deserve to, it is not so hard to take.
"For three of the goals we lost possession too easily and didn't mark properly. We know about Lewandowski's movement and he deserves great credit for his performance, but we didn't make it as difficult for him as I would like.
"We were ready and prepared for tonight (Wednesday), but many of the boys had a bad game and a bad night. At club level this is the second-most important game, after the final. Obviously I am very disappointed with how it's gone."
Mourinho insisted his side were capable of finding a way back in the second leg at the Bernabeu, but admitted it would take a crazy performance.
"We can (turn it around) -- it's very difficult but we can do it. In football anything is possible. On a crazy night when everyone performs at a high level, when every chance is a goal, we can turn it around."
Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp could not have been happier with his side's performance. "It was an unbelievable display from my team," Klopp said. "Madrid are very strong and it was never going to be an easy game.
"For the first 25 minutes we were great. Then we lost our way a bit and let them back into the match. At halftime we spoke and I urged the players to start playing the way we had early on, which we did and we were much better.
"I can't explain how to say it in English, but it was like something clicked in the second half.
"Second half it was like Robin Hood, and arrow into the box with our attacking players -- it was great to see.
"I gave all my players a hug, because they fully deserved it. That was pure football tonight, my players were unstoppable."
Klopp admitted it now looks like it is going to be an all-German Champions League final at Wembley, with Bayern Munich holding a 4-0 lead over Barcelona after their first leg.
"An all-German final surely seems a bit more likely now after the first legs, but we know that we still have a tough match ahead in Madrid," Klopp added. "It was a great experience which will remain a lasting memory for everyone involved, no matter what happens in the return leg."
