"A happy ending to an overall even match"

Marco Rose: "As expected, it was a difficult game with a lot of fight and passion. Ultimately, we enjoyed a happy ending to an overall even match. We had to defend with a lot of strength again. We managed to do that well, kept another clean sheet and in between were also dangerous offensively. We had to work really hard for the win today. Mainz always play really well at home. They are unpleasant to play against and in the end, we are happy with the win."

Axel Witsel: "We knew it would be difficult here. We expected Mainz to be aggressive in their challenges and with a lot of deep running. It was a tough game for us, especially in the second half. We didn't enjoy that much possession. That got better in the second half when we also had opportunities to score. We are happy with the win, also because we were able to increase the gap to the teams behind us."

Emre Can: "It was a difficult game. We fought well in our challenges. It was not the most beautiful game. The most important thing was that we got the three points. We believed we could do this right until the end. When you do score the winning goal late in the game, it's even better. Everyone has to put their maximum of energy into the game. That is very important for us. Such victories are always special. There are always days when you don't play well. That's when you have to pull together as a team. The win tastes very good."

Transcribed by Timo Lammert