#TSGM05 reaction: "Never stopped pressing"

Julian Nagelsmann: "We were a bit stronger than Mainz in the first half, but the big chances weren’t coming. Mainz became a little more dangerous towards the end of the first half - we really needed that second goal. At half time we set out to make some changes and decided to keep the putting on the pressure, never letting up. We did exactly that and we did it well, we created a lot of chances, even though none were clear-cut. I noticed in training this week that the lads were determined and it was clear to see when Kramaric scored his first: he kept snatching at the ball until it went in. The second goal we conceded was unfortunate and it made things tense at the end. I think we could all see how relieved Andrej was after his second goal – a real weight off his shoulders. I’m pleased for him and for Adam that they bagged a brace each."

Sandro Schwarz (Mainz 05 manager):  "There were very few chances in the first half, Hoffenheim had a chance in the first three, then we had one through Muto, plus the two goals. 1-1 was a fair score for half time, but Hoffenheim came out much better for the second and put on a lot of pressure. They had lots of chances and were especially dangerous down the right. They deserved to go in front, but we reacted well to going 3-1 down, managing to pull one back. The free-kick killed the game. We had a good first half and a weaker second; we just weren’t on the ball enough. All in all, we deserved to lose."

Adam Szalai:  "We’ve worked really hard in recent weeks and they’ve not been an easy ride for us – that paid off today. The game wasn’t easy, but we piled on the pressure in the second half and earned ourselves the three points. For me, goals against Mainz are nothing special, because my time there was a while ago. I was extremely pleased to be able to help the team and we’re all happy to finally have the first three points of the year in the bag."

Serge Gnabry: "This was a very, very important game for us today. We were aggressive and stayed aggressive for the entire 90 minutes. I hope we can do the same next week at Schalke. We had the game under control today and we didn’t stop pressing after conceding the equaliser. The first 20 minutes of the second half were very good – it was only a matter of time, in my opinion, before we scored again. If you give players like those the proper service, they will score their goals."

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