Head coach Dino Toppmöller: “It was definitely hard work. We started very well and got into our stride. We won the penalty in precisely one of the spaces that we wanted to get into. After the equaliser it was like all that was blown away. We were too slow and sluggish and just played it around too much. In the second half we had significantly more energy on the pitch, the substitutions gave us a lift. It’s a positive common theme that there’s always a lot of energy coming from the bench – that shows the group is in tact and alive. Everyone is important.”
I knew the fans here are famous for their atmosphere and noise, and they lived up to that reputation tonight.
Farès Chaibi
Robin Koch: “It was a very solid team performance. The opponents sat very deep. We wanted to attack with pace and get behind their backline. When we succeeded in that, you saw that we got chances. I’m very happy that we won the match.”
Farès Chaibi: “It’s difficult against opponents who set up so defensively. At first we were feeling each other out, then after the break it got better. When you’re not familiar with the opponents, you always need a bit of time to get into it. I knew the fans here are famous for their atmosphere and noise, and they lived up to that reputation tonight.”
