Neven Subotic was happy after his second appearance of the season to have got some game time under his belt. "It was fun. It's my calling. That is why I became a footballer", said the defender after the game away at Leverkusen. "Ideally we would have won the match, but we have made an important step forwards", continued Subotic.

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How did your second game of the season feel for you?
"It was fun. This is my calling. I became a footballer to be able to stand on the field of play. Eleven against eleven playing competitively is something quite different compared with playing against one another in training. But it was exhausting too. Leverkusen are a very fit and robust team that run a lot. But that is exactly my game. Ideally we would have won the match, but we have made an important step forwards. We played at a good level overall, and that is a good sign for the future. We are not the physically most imposing of teams, but we were good in the tackle. That will also be an important factor in our upcoming fixtures, alongside the footballing side of our game."

What was your take on the goal you conceded?
"Ultimately it was a mistake made by the back row, with myself included in that. I tried to head the ball away, but that is very difficult when you are under pressure. If the ball doesn't have much momentum behind it, then it's hard to get any kind of pace on it when heading it away. Leverkusen were lurking, you saw that from the first minute of the game on. And it was Volland who waited precisely for these kind of chances. Over the 90 minutes, it worked very well on two occasions. That is of course something that we never want to happen."

"We are not playing kids' football anymore"

Gonzalo Castro and Maximilian Philipp went off injured. Does that show that Leverkusen were playing a little too rough?
"I haven't seen either situation yet, but I think the challenge on Gonzo really was a little bit too much, given it was the kind of challenge that means you have to go off, when you really cannot continue. For that reason, it was important that the referee showed red as punishment. Nonetheless, I still wouldn't say that Leverkusen were playing too rough overall. In that particular situation yes, but not over the course of the whole game. I think it was a hugely entertaining game for the fans, because both teams really went for it. We are not playing kids' football anymore, and that is how it should be." (djg)