Post-Match Report
Reactions: “Nothing spectacular, but a deserved win”
Niko Kovac (on DAZN): “We kept a clean sheet, we won 2-0, we missed two really good chances and didn’t give Hoffenheim anything – I’m very satisfied. We didn’t let ourselves be caught on the break as much as they might have expected, as was the case here at home against Leverkusen. Nothing spectacular, but a deserved victory. Physically, the lads had to push themselves to the limit today. The 1-0 was a textbook attacking sequence. That’s how we practised it in training – when it comes off in a match, it’s great.”
Sebastian Kehl (in the mixed zone): “It was important to put in another really good performance today. The team played well and deserved this win against a good Hoffenheim side. We want to keep going, stay hungry and win the next few games too. I think the team have taken a step forward overall and can also deal with issues such as Tuesday’s defeat. I’m very happy with the way we played today because the team approached the game the way it had to. We created a lot of chances. In the end, we should have scored a third goal.”
Nico Schlotterbeck (on DAZN): “Hoffenheim played with brutal intensity, especially in the first half. It was an evenly matched game. We made it 1-0, then 2-0 from a set piece, and played well until the end, hardly allowing them anything. Today we had that little bit of extra luck and deserved to win. That was extremely important after Tuesday’s defeat. That hurt a lot. I’m glad that the whole team played really well and rewarded themselves. Now we’re coming away from the weekend feeling good because we were able to make up points on the others.”
Julian Brandt (on DAZN): “The game took a lot of energy. And it wasn’t the most enjoyable game with all the back and forth and high balls. It was an extremely important win for us after being knocked out of the DFB-Pokal. In previous years, we were chasing wins before the winter break. Now it’s good that we’re winning most of our games and that we’ve only lost one game in the Bundesliga. That’s good for us and gives us confidence. But the year isn’t over yet.”
Transcribed by Boris Rupert