Grillitsch: "We conceded the goals too cheaply"

Florian Grillitsch: "We gave away the chances too easily and conceded the goals too cheaply. We had our share of the possession and better spells, but it then becomes difficult against an opponent like this when you give away goals so easily. The order was not right for the first goal we conceded, then Leverkusen finished it off well too. We need to analyse that and do better in the future. But it wasn't all bad. We had good spells, after pulling the goal back for example. We created chances against a top opponent. But the focus has to be on the defence."

Mergim Berisha: "I am hugely delighted and would like to thank the coach for gifting me a goal today by selecting me. It has been a long journey for me, but I'm now 100% fit again. It makes me unbelievably proud that I can play without pain once again. If my goal to make it 2-2 had counted, the match would've gone differently. Because we actually played a decent game today but then dropped off. That cannot happen to us." 

Oliver Baumann: "We were close to making it 2-2 before the break. At half-time, we spoke about the fact that our defence was too high in three situations. We then improved upon that, but still did not settle into the game really well after the break. The penalty against us was not so clear-cut for me. Leverkusen played well for the third goal. Fundamentally, it helps us when our fans support the team. That energises us. We will also manage to get through this situation."

Pellegrino Matarazzo: "We had several good spells but at the end of the day it was too little to beat a team like Bayer Leverkusen. We conceded the goals far too easily. We had 15 shots at goal, that was decent, but we gave too much away defensively. We were compact and sat deep for the most part and did not give much away in those phases. When you're higher up, you have to protect yourself at the back, which we didn't do and that's why Leverkusen scored two goals. Mergim hasn't played for a long time, so I'm happy for him that he scored. I know what quality he has. Goals always give a striker confidence. It wasn't down to the team's commitment today, that's positive. It's all about working now."

Xabi Alonso (Bayer 04 Leverkusen coach): "We were ready to show our best level today. We played seriously and performed very professionally. Hoffenheim did well in the 10 minutes before the break; we had a few problems at that point. We showed sufficient energy in the second half and waited for our moments. I'm satisfied with the performance and the result. It was important after the loss to Leipzig."

Match facts and statistics »