"Sometimes you need a goal like that to get up and running again"

Peter Stöger: "In the first half, you could see why Stuttgart are doing so well this year. It was very difficult for us because the opposition believed in themselves. We, on the other hand, did not find the optimal solutions. So that's why we were slightly lucky to go in 1-0 ahead at the interval. In the changing rooms we then discussed what needed to change. After the break we then started to do a lot of things much better, we're very happy with that. It wasn't easy to deal with the situation after the defeat in Munich. But the way we played in the second half was really good."

Nuri Sahin: "It was very important to open the scoring while we were on top. Even if, as I believe, Christian didn't connect with it properly – we'll happily take it. It was better after that, even if it wasn't a standout match. Following the 6-0 in Munich, in which both the defeat and the margin were deserved, you're naturally a bit heavy-legged and thoughts go through your head. In order to restore mental freshness, you perhaps sometimes need to get a goal like that to get up and running again. In the end we deserved to win. That said, it's a fact that there are lots of things that need to improve. Our performance in the second half was a step in the right direction but it wasn't entirely optimal. Now we need to see out the last five matches of the season and, in the best-case scenario, finish in second position. We'll need everyone for that. Not just the players, but every single fan. Once it's over, we'll conduct a hard-hitting analysis of our season."

Michael Zorc: "In the first half, particularly in the opening 25 minutes, you could see we were still feeling the effects of the 6-0 loss in Munich. We barely managed anything, we didn't look brave. As the match progressed, and once we took the lead in rather fortunate circumstances which obviously gave us confidence, it got better. In the second half, we then found our way back to how we usually play and deservedly won 3-0. It's all about the result, and we got it. Now we're really raring to go for next week, for the Ruhr derby. There we'll need to up our performance one more notch."

"Nice to play here"

Daniel Ginczek (VfB Stuttgart): "Of course it was nice to play here at my former club. With an atmosphere and weather like this. But of course, it is not a satisfactory result for us. There was a goal where nobody could explain how it went in. Then we collapsed and no longer had control defensively. It then got really difficult once the second goal went in." (djg)