"There was much that was good. We should also have seen that there were things which we need to improve when playing at this level", said Thomas Tuchel after the match against Real Madrid – an encounter, which he, as a youth trainer, "would never have dared to dream of".

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Thomas Tuchel on the game's development and the result:
"It think it is a fair result. We played a strong first half, were very dominant, settled into a good rhythm and were finding the gaps. Unfortunately, our final pass or sometimes the penultimate pass was not getting through. We were a bit lacking in aggression when attempting to carve out chances for ourselves. Real Madrid's goal to go into the lead was our mistake, and of course things got more difficult, but our reaction was good and we remained dominant to earn the equaliser. We started well in the second half, and created two good chances for ourselves. Inexplicably, we then lost our conviction somewhat and our rhythm in midfield went, leading to mistakes, something which allowed Real to grow stronger. We certainly suffered during this phase of the game and conceded the second goal. Once again, we reacted well to this to get another equaliser not long before time, and that will certainly help us in this group. It is definitely a good feeling. You have got to take what you get in football, and we have much to learn from this game. There was much that was good, but we should also have seen that there were things which we need to improve when playing at this level."

... on how he felt during his first home game in the Champions League:
"It is a special stage on which to play. You do not dare to dream of being in charge of a competitive fixture against Real Madrid as a youth trainer. It is a wonderful bestowment. The best thing would have been a victory and perhaps a slightly better performance. However, I do not want to seem dissatisfied or pedantic. Learning is part of a development process."

"We reached a target with 20 shots on goal"

... on a possible connection between Mario Götze's substitution and the following dip in the game:
"If you want to look for a simple explanation, then there could be a connection there. I will have to review things to see if it was due to this change. We made the substitution because we had seen Raphael Guerreiro in our own half and wanted to add more pace to our game via an experienced winger like Schürrle."

... on the level of dominance shown against such a strong opponent:
"Today we wanted to see if we could play with the same pace, the same tempo, as we do in the Bundesliga. We managed to do that in phases of the match. I am pleased that my team displayed such courage. Our marking could have been better. We reached a target with 20 shots on goal: we proactively went for our opponent, we did not simply just react to them."

... on the difference when playing at the top table of European football after a year in the Europa league:
"I did not get the impression last year after our games against Porto, Tottenham and Liverpool that we were missing much so as to be able to compete with Europe's elite teams. There is no good reason to be too harsh now, or to be overly pensive. It was a great experience today against a top team. The result is OK. Let's keep going!"
Transcribed by Boris Rupert