Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß: “The game couldn’t have started worse – going behind after 30 seconds is always tough to take. We could have got more out of the game; the result doesn’t quite fit what happened. We needed to be a bit more clinical in the penalty area. At the end of the day, we wanted to get to the next round and we did that – mission accomplished. VfB have reached the round of 16 in a European competition for the first time in 13 years, which is a historic success.”
Alexander Nübel: “The defeat is annoying, even though we achieved our aim. After conceding very early, you could sense a certain nervousness, but we pulled ourselves together and largely had the game under control. We had a lot of chances, especially in the second half – unfortunately, we weren’t able to take them. The most important thing after the play-offs is that we’re in the round of 16. We’re excited to follow the draw: both Porto and Braga are good teams, and we look forward to it.”
Jamie Leweling: “It wasn’t our best performance. We didn’t really get our game going. Nevertheless, we had some good spells and first and foremost we’re glad that we’ve reached the round of 16. That was our target and we’ve achieved it. I don’t have a preferred opponent for the next round.”
