FIRST TEAM
05/05/2018

Reaction to the Stuttgart game: “Now we have a final against BVB”

Here's what the Hoffenheim players and both teams' coaches had to say after Stuttgart’s 2-0 win over TSG on matchday 33.

Julian Nagelsmann: “We played extraordinarily well in the first 20 minutes and should have decided the game then. In that period, we had six or seven super chances and were extremely dominant, so I was pleased with our showing. We were only missing a goal. With Lukas Rupp’s injury, there was a break in the game. We’ll miss him the last match as he’s picked up a bad injury, we assume it’s a ligament tear. The doctor was treating him in the changing room. After that, VfB scored a goal typical of them. We didn’t defend optimally and weren’t aggressive in fighting for the second ball. After they took the lead, they stood very deep and did it well. There were always 18 or 20 legs in the way. On top of that, Rob-Robert Zieler was impressive in goal. I would have liked a goal for our goal difference, but then even the post was in our way. The good thing is that we are in control of our own destiny. We go into the final game with the chance to achieve something extraordinary. For a club like TSG, it’s incredible. We wanted a final against Dortmund, and we have a final against Dortmund.”

Tayfun Korkut (Stuttgart’s coach): “First of all, I'd like to wish Lukas Rupp all the best. For us, it was a very, very tough game. TSG are a top side with a lot of pace and are unbelievably agile. Above all at the start of the game, we had to survive a few dangerous situations. We pulled through though, a quality which has made us strong over the last few weeks. After the red card, things became a little trickier, but we defended very well. Mario Gomez decided the game today. He doesn’t need many chances to score. I have to pay my team a huge compliment for their performance today.”

Havard Nordtveit: “We started very well and created many chances in the first 20 minutes. In front of goal, we weren’t clinical enough. We would have certainly taken more from the game had we scored in that period. After, Stuttgart defended very well and made it difficult for us to create more chances. In contrast to us, VfB made a lot out of very little. The injury to Lukas Rupp was obviously a setback. Your health is more important that the win and I wish him all the best - we hope it’s not too serious. We have our qualification for the Champions League in our own hands, but we have a tough game against Dortmund ahead of us. A win on the final matchday to seal Champions League football would be unbelievable. We’re going to work very hard during the week.

Oliver Baumann: “The opening 20 minutes were decisive. We didn’t make the most of two, three or four great chances. After going behind, it then became very difficult. We missed the opportunity to turn the game in our favour. When you do that in the Bundesliga, you’re often punished. On top of that, both goals we conceded were unnecessary. We continued to push, but couldn’t break through. Now we have a kind of final against Dortmund next week. The loss is particularly disappointing, because we could have almost sealed Champions League football today.”

Kevin Vogt: “We missed a big opportunity today, but we can still achieve something great. We have to put the game behind us as quickly as possible. We had the chances to score early, but we weren’t clinical enough. We played the ball square too often. After the first Stuttgart goal, we knew we had a huge task on our hands because they are extremely strong defensively.”

 

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