Alexander Nouri: “We knew what to expect. Leipzig are a team with an unbelievable amount of confidence and momentum behind them, they’re a super opponent with enormous quality upfront who are very versatile. Nevertheless, our performance wasn’t bad, we stood compact, were organised and disciplined. Many of Leipzig’s attacks came to nothing or ended in shots from distance but in the decisive moments we didn’t defend with enough conviction - we conceded their first goal too easily and I’m sure we could have defended it better. After winning the ball back in the first half, I would have wished for more confidence, we did that better in the second which made the game open again. Straight after the break, we could have equalised and were unlucky. However, I would have hoped for more courage in some situations so I’m not satisfied with that.”
Theodor Gebre Selassie: “We were hoping for more and are disappointed that we haven’t taken any points from the game. RB played very aggressively and were a little better on the day.”
Clemens Fritz: “It was an intense game. Their first goal was very lucky as the ball bounced off his leg. The second goal should never happen, but we reacted well, fought back and thew everything forwards at the end.”
Fin Bartels: “We didn’t give them any space and, until their first goal, didn’t allow them many chances. We had won the ball back just before their first goal, but the ball bounced around and fell to him nicely. There were some positives today but above all, we’re disappointed that we haven’t taken anything from the game.”
Zlatko Junuzovic: “In the first half we only allowed them one chance and we did a lot right. With their first goal, we had won the ball back but Keita’s individual class allowed him to get through. Getting the balance between being defensively compact and attacking wasn’t easy and we didn’t always get it right. Leipzig enjoy being on the ball, particularly in midfield. With more luck, we could have taken something from the game as we were always in it and never gave up hope. Maybe in the first half we were a little too deep, even if we were compact – but this is the balancing act I mentioned earlier. In the second period we then opened up more and created more chances.
Frank Baumann: “At the start, we needed a couple of minutes to get into the game. After that, we were good over long stretches – we were only not close enough to our opponents during their goals.
