Akpoguma: "We showed character"

Here’s what the players and coaches had to say after TSG Hoffenheim's 1-1 draw with VfB Stuttgart:

Luca Philipp: "I'm really pleased that I was able to make a lot of stops and help the team with my saves." If you look at the game as a whole, one point is fair. In the first half, it was too little from us. We were not active enough and our transitions were too slow. In the second half, we did much better and also earned the point. It was our goal to take something away with us. Now we will enjoy the moment, but from tomorrow, we will be working hard again."

Kevin Akpoguma: "It was a deserved 1-1. In the first half, VfB were better. In the second half, we had more passion and more energy. We managed to create the goal through good pressing. We even had the chance to win, but the draw is fair. We fell asleep for the 1-0. We have to defend that better. Stuttgart have enormous quality up front. We had a clear plan and implemented it well. In the second half, we let the ball do the running and did even better. We showed character again and came back from behind. Every point is important, so I am satisfied. Now we really have to make sure that we stop falling behind early on. Otherwise, we will always be playing catch-up."

Anton Stach: "I am very divided. We experienced two very different halves. We couldn't really get a grip on the game in the first half. We were often too late, did not get into the duels, and Stuttgart were winning a lot of second balls. In the second half, we threw everything into it, and we were the better team. We might have gotten even more out of it, but all in all, we can live with the point. We're actually doing well now this season, but we need points. With the exception of the Union game, we can see an upward trend. We just always need to do the basic things right on the pitch. That's what you need now in this situation."

Christian Ilzer: "We can certainly live with the point against a strong opponent. Stuttgart posed us a lot of problems in the first half hour that we had to solve. In the second half, we adjusted a few things, and that worked well. We both could have won the game in the end. Stuttgart were closer to making it 2-0, but we were always in the game thanks to Luca Philipp. Today, we are satisfied with the point."

Sebastian Hoeness (VfB Stuttgart head coach): "The mood in the cabin is understandable. It feels like a defeat. That's because from our point of view, we had to win the game. We played a good game, especially in the first 30 minutes. Even after making it 1-0, we had some more good chances and a few other situations that could have caused them trouble. In the second half, it was relatively similar, although the game was more open. We had huge chances, but failed to put the game to bed. Hoffenheim then showed that they could be dangerous, and in the end they even had a very dicey situation. Both teams wanted to win. The point is not great for us, but the performance was all the better. In terms of how we played, it was a step in the right direction."