Skripnik: "No-one was expecting a walk in the park"

Captain Zlatko Junuzovic led his team out to an eventual 2-0 victory after extra time (photo: nph).
First Team
Saturday, 08.08.2015 / 20:14

First competitive game, first win. But it wasn't that simple - the Green-Whites had to wait until extra time before scoring the decisive goals that sent them into the second round...

First competitive game, first win. But it wasn't that simple - the Green-Whites had to wait until extra time before scoring the decisive goals that sent them into the second round of the DFB Cup. Two late strikes from new signing Anthony Ujah and Fin Bartels saved the Bundesliga side's blushes as they defeated second-division side Würzburger Kickers 2-0. "We didn't just play against our opponent today, but also against the temperatures," said Viktor Skripnik after the game. And he was right - temperatures rose to 38 degrees during the encounter in Southern Germany. At the end of the day, the job was done: "We did what we had to do and we're into the next round," said Thomas Eichin.

WERDER.DE spoke to the manager, chief executive and some players to get their thoughts after the game.

On the course of the game:

Thomas Eichin: "Pre-season really doesn't mean anything - we saw that very early on today. We didn't get a goal in the early stages and so put ourselves under pressure, but we also have to compliment Würzburg. It was a very difficult game against a compact, hard-working team, who have a good manager and are very well organised."

Viktor Skripnik declared himself relieved after his side’s win over the Würzburger Kickers (photo: nph).

Viktor Skripnik: "Obviously I'm not happy that we didn't have the game wrapped up after 90 minutes and that we had to toil away for an extra half an hour, but absolutely nobody was expecting it to be a walk in the park. Wurzburg played a very physical game and they pressured us a lot on the ball. Therefore we're happy we've got through. At the end of the day it's only the result that matters. As the game went on it looked more and more like it would be decided by a mistake, especially since we didn't bury our chances - and that's how it played out."

Zlatko Junuzovic: "We knew what we were up against and that we weren't quite firing on all cylinders. We made it difficult for ourselves in the game. Obviously we're disappointed that we didn't win in 90 minutes, but I think we controlled the game in places and created some good chances. We should have made more of them, that's true, but all in all we wanted to progress and that's what we've done."

On the supposed difference in class:

Thomas Eichin: "You simply can't underestimate the 3. Liga. All of the players are professionals who live for football 24/7. You can't talk down these teams."

Viktor Skripnik: "We totally deserved to be knocked out against Bielefeld last season and Würzburg's performance today didn't surprise me at all. The game showed that the quality in the 3. Liga is getting closer and closer to that of the Bundesliga."

On goalscorer Anthony Ujah:

Viktor Skripnik: "Today he played really well - he was in the right place at the right time. If he puts in a performance like that every week, I'll keep heaping the praise on him."

Anthony Ujah was in the right place at the right time to give Werder the lead against Würzburger Kickers (photo: nph).

Zlatko Junuzovic: "Since the day I met him, I've had the feeling that he'll fit perfectly into this team. He's not just important to us because of his goals - he leads the line well and makes a lot of good runs."

Clemens Schoppenhauer: "Anthony Ujah is a top striker who doesn't need a many chances to score. We saw that with his goal today. That's what makes the difference."

On missed chances:

Fin Bartels: "Obviously it's very frustrating when you have the chance to score, and your team is under pressure because of missed chances. But we're happy that we've got through - however we managed it."

On the first game in the Bundesliga:

Zlatko Junuzovic: "It'll be a totally different game in the Bundesliga against Schalke. I think that they're in about the same position as us in terms of their preparation. I expect it to be an open game."

Fin Bartels: "You could see that we still have some work to do before we're at 100%. We definitely have to improve our play."

On facing his old club:

Clemens Schoppenhauer: "I would have rather us gone through, even if Werder are my team. That doesn't play any role here - football is my job and I want to win every game, even when it's against my old team."

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