Things continue to go well for SC Freiburg in the Europa League. The Breisgauer team achieved their third win in the league phase at the French representative OGC Nice on Thursday. FSV Mainz 05 also had reason to celebrate again after tough weeks in the Bundesliga. The voices about the German games on RTL:
Matthias Ginter (SC Freiburg) …
… to victory: “We played a very, very good first half. We felt like we had more space than in the Bundesliga, which is actually surprising. We are now doing very, very well in the Europa League and of course we want to stick with it.”
… to Nice in the second half: “It was clear that they had to win. They have zero points and of course wanted to try everything again. We also had a few scenes where we had to suffer and threw ourselves into everything, but in the end I still think it was deserved.”
… about the upcoming Bundesliga matchday: “Basically we have a good feeling. Now the last game before the international break would be very, very important if we set the direction upwards in the league again.”
Video: Ginter looks ahead: “We want to stick with it”
Vincenzo Grifo (scorer SC Freiburg) …
… about the game: “We knew it would be a difficult game here, but we got into it well. We knew that they are of course very, very good individually and that you can’t give Nice a lot of space. Then they take a 1-0 lead, but that didn’t put us off track. Then we make it 1-1 and take the lead, and at half-time it’s 3-1. We played that well and that’s why we’re very, very happy and happy.”
… about the fans’ protest: “I understand our fans. Always, no matter when, I mean, they travel here. I didn’t really notice it, but now the atmosphere was of course outstanding when we were celebrating. You don’t notice it like that during the game, but we are of course very, very grateful to our fans for supporting us loudly here, especially today there were only 15,000 or 16,000 spectators in the stadium, so we would definitely have heard our boys and then that would be partly it “It was a home game.”
Video: Fan anger in Nice: Grifo shows solidarity
Julian Schuster (coach SC Freiburg) …
… to Nice before the game (before the game): “A team with a good mix that can defend very well. Last week against Paris they lost the game with their last action. But they can also press high and have really good footballers in their ranks, and they always try to play through the center. They have a lot of speed, especially in the front line, and you have to be very, very attentive.”
…on Christian Günter’s possible 441st appearance (before the game): “Incredible number. I said it yesterday, it’s special. If anyone embodies the club, it’s Günni. We’re very, very happy. I’m very, very happy as a coach to have him as captain and that gives me great pleasure.”
Video: Victory in Nice: Schuster demands even more control
Bo Henriksen (coach 1. FSV Mainz 05) …
… to victory: “It’s one of those magical nights. I can’t say much, but we’re happy to experience such an evening and celebrate with our fans.”
… about the game: “It was a good opponent, but we had faith. We played well in the first 15 minutes, the 15 minutes after that were a disaster. Then we got back into the game, the second half was a little better. For me the most important thing is the heart. If that’s possible, anything is possible.”
…on the question of whether the late win was his greatest moment as Mainz coach: “The biggest thing was when we won the relegation battle in the Bundesliga and stayed in the league. That’s the most important thing now. Evenings like these are football. That’s how we love football, the fans are here and we have goosebumps.”
Video: Henriksen: First disaster, then magic
Niko Bungert (Sports Director 1. FSV Mainz 05) …
… about the game: “We had more of the game in the first 15 or 20 minutes. Then, unfortunately, we got ourselves into trouble by conceding a stupid goal. What the team did, especially in the second half, how they continued to believe in themselves and didn’t allow themselves to be thrown off track, was very impressive. And that against a top team, probably the best team in the competition. Having nine points in the account feels great.”
…on the late winning goal: “Emotions ran wild. The whole bench jumped up, everyone cheered together and the stadium was boiling. Wonderful, we couldn’t have dreamed of it more beautifully.”
Video: “Legendary”: Mainz boss ennobles his boys
Nadiem Amiri (captain 1. FSV Mainz 05) …
… to victory: “Very relieved. We didn’t play the best football, but in our situation right now we just have to invest a lot. I’m really happy when I see what’s going on here. Then we’ve finally been rewarded, a great feeling.”
…on the meaning of the victory: “It’s crazy. I don’t know if Mainz has ever beaten an opponent like that at home. That will definitely go down in the history books. The most important thing for us is that we finally had a sense of success.”
Video: Amiri relieved: “I’m really happy”
Benedict Hollerbach (goal scorer 1. FSV Mainz 05) …
… about the atmosphere in the stadium: “I found it impressive, I finally got to feel the full capacity. The Mainz fans were clearly satisfied over the last few weeks. The mood was sometimes a bit negative. Now it was really special. You’re really looking forward to being able to experience it again.”
…on the question of whether he was pissed off just sitting on the bench at the beginning: “There’s no way I can be pissed off here. I’m very grateful that the coach has faith in me – even though I’ve only just scored my first goal. I’m always keeping my fingers crossed for the boys.”
Video: Superjoker Hollerbach presents himself as a team player
…on the late winning goal: “I found it extremely astonishing how much the boys wanted to win. I thought to myself at times that a 1-1 would be okay. The 2-1 for Fiorentina was always in the air. It’s also a bit lucky that we got the lucky punch.”