No points, but still everything to play for

After the game, the players thanked the fans for their support this season (photo: nph)
First Team
Sunday, 17.05.2015 / 15:31

It just wasn't meant to be. Despite their best efforts, Werder were unable to sign off in front of their own fans with a win, going down 2-0 to next season's...

It just wasn't meant to be. Despite their best efforts, Werder were unable to sign off in front of their own fans with a win, going down 2-0 to next season's Champions League participants Borussia Mönchengladbach. The fans spent several minutes applauding the team though, while the Green-Whites went around the pitch holding a banner to thank the fans - "Thank you for your great support" it read. "It's been a crazy season, in which the fans have had to endure some tough times. But they have always supported us. As a team, it's crucial to know that they're always behind us. We wanted to thank them for that," said Zlatko Junuzovic after the final whistle.

Werder didn't give the side from Mönchengladbach an inch in what was an intense and open encounter. "If you want to get something against a team like this, then you have to put one of your few chances away. If Davie takes that chance before the break, then it's a different game," assessed Thomas Eichin game. Viktor Skripnik also looked back on a big chance shortly after the restart: "If you don't score up front, then it makes life tough at the back," said the head coach. 

WERDER.DE listened to what the main men had to say following the final home game of the campaign and summed up the key thoughts:

Junuzovic fought valiantly in midfield, but was unable to help Werder to points (photo: nph)

Thoughts on the game:

Viktor Skripnik: "The best side won today. Gladbach are one of the best teams in the Bundesliga for me, and they built on that reputation today. We were unable to take our chances unfortunately. I'd like to have seen how the game would have gone if Yann Sommer hadn't have stopped Davie's shot just before the break. I can't criticise my side though, as everyone gave it their all today and tried everything against a truly top team. Individual errors are part of football."

Franco Di Santo: "Gladbach are an impressive side. They showed all of their quality after taking the lead and moved the ball about intelligently. We were just chasing them for the large part of the game and were therefore unable to carve out many chances. Of course we're very disappointed - we didn't play as we set up to do."

Sebastian Prödl: "We lost to a very good team today. I don't want to say they're superior but they are very, very good indeed. We can still be proud of how we have fought back this season despite the defeat today."

Zlatko Junuzovic: "We put up some good resistance at times but you have to say that Gladbach were the better team. We deserved to lose. Borussia are in incredible form at the moment and impressed with their good runs and great tactics too. Compared to the fixture against them earlier this term, they've come on an extra mile. We tried everything and so we're not terribly disappointed. Of course we're unhappy with both of the goals, but these things happen. You can't do anything more about it. There could have been more in it perhaps, should we have put that goal away after the break but Sommer saved superbly. So we deserved to lose unfortunately."

Koen Casteels put in a good performance against Gladbach, making some top saves (photo: nph)

Thoughts on the upcoming season finale:

Viktor Skripnik: "We've achieved our main goal of avoiding relegation earlier than planned and I'm truly happy that we're not down there at the moment. We'll now take that sensational feeling to Dortmund and anything can happen in our last game."

Zlatko Junuzovic: "We're all agreed that the second half of the season has gone well. We put things we planned during the winter break into practice. Of course there are highs and lows - that's normal. We've gone through a transformation and can even hold our own against some top teams. It's obvious though that we've been unable to deploy everything immediately."

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