Reaction to Mainz win

Frank Baumann: “I am happy first and foremost today about the positive attitude from the team. Even though at first it didn’t look like much was going for us, the boys dug in despite going behind and gave it their all and managed to come back to win. This mentality has been instilled throughout the last few months. We want to continue to push on with this mindset next season.”

Florian Kainz: “I am really happy that I scored and that I could help the team end the season on a high. That was really important for us. Now we can go into the summer break feeling good.”

Theodor Gebre Selassie: “We wanted to end on a positive note and I’m really happy that we’ve managed to get the win. It hasn’t been an easy season for us, but we’ve show what we are capable of in the second half of the season.”

Max Kruse: “We were a bit sleepy at the start but we got better as the game went on. Not everything came off today but we deserved the win. Our fighting performances in the last few weeks have been clear for all to see. The season has been very energy-sapping so we’re really happy to end with a win and to give the fans a good send-off.”

Jerome Gondorf: “It was a very intense game and it wasn’t sloppy like people were expecting in the lead-up to it. We wanted to show the mentality that we have and wanted to give something back to the fans.”

Florian Kohfeldt: “All four of our centre-backs got injured today. Maxi Eggestein played at right-back and Gebre Selassie in the middle. Despite that, we played some really good football, created chances and deserved the win. We wanted to finish off the season in style and get a reward for our great second half of the season. We did that and I’m really proud of the boys. I am also delighted for the fans too, who supported us incredibly today.”

Maximilian Eggestein: “We played with a very unusual back four. It was a back four that we have never played with before and I don’t think it will ever happen again. But we did really well. Theo had a great game. He is so good in the air and that’s helped us again today. It was just reward for a very good performance – we played much more positively today than last week.”

Frank Baumann: “The relegation is a shame for HSV and the city of Hamburg. I am sure that they will bounce back and won’t spend long in the 2. Liga. And then we’ll be back to having brilliant derbies against them once again.”

Jerome Gondorf: “It honestly is a shame. They are a massive club and the explosive nature of the derbies will be missed. It’s a loss for the Bundesliga. But they didn’t manage to get the results on the pitch so they have to deal with the consequences of that.”

Klaus Filbry: “It’s a shame HSV have gone down because the Nordderby is, along with the Revierderby, a classic Bundesliga derby.”

Maximilian Eggestein: “I can honestly say I am not happy about HSV’s relegation. You have to consider that people’s jobs and lives will be affected by the relegation. I will definitely miss the Nordderby too.”

Max Kruse: “The general manager had a few words for us after the game. We have a small trip ahead of us – we’ve deserved that.”

Maximilian Eggestein: “Ending the season with a win is great for our self-confidence and will help us enormously going forward. Now we can have a breather. There aren’t any plans for the rest of today but never say never.

Florian Kohfeldt: “The win is good for us. Now we can go into the holidays feeling relieved, we can switch off for a bit, look back on the season and just take a break from everyday life. I want to take this moment to thank everyone who has helped us on this journey. All of the coaching staff and everyone behind the scenes has worked so hard. I am really happy to be able to continue working with this team. So thank you very much.”