With courage, determination and passion

First Team
Tuesday, 15.12.2015 / 23:58

The atmosphere was palpable in the seconds after the final whistle - on the bench, on the pitch and in the stands. It was an incredible moment for all Werder fans. What an...

The atmosphere was palpable in the seconds after the final whistle - on the bench, on the pitch and in the stands. It was an incredible moment for all Werder fans. What an incredible game, incredible win and huge relief! "I have only one word for today's game: unbelievable," goalscorer Ujah celebrated after the full-time whistle. "It was very important for all of us to get through to the next round. The people in Bremen really needed it. The fans can start to dream about Berlin now," Claudio Pizarro concluded shortly afterwards.

Captain Clemens Fritz had an explanation for the spectacular 4-3 win: "We played with courage, determination and passion. Everyone wanted to win, which was particularly evident in the closing stages, when we went in for every ball."

WERDER.DE spoke to the players after the game and put together their thoughts on the successful evening in the cup.

On the game:

Viktor Skripnik: "We're very happy. We were the more effective team today, we played with passion, and we pushed ourselves to our limits. It was a very tough game, but we succeeded in beating a top side in a very big competition. It's nice, but it comes as no surprise as it was a game between two Bundesliga sides and we always knew that we had a chance. Now we need to show that in the league, too. I hope this result gives us some confidence."

Claudio Pizarro: "It was a very good game today. We came here with the intention of progressing to the next round. It was hard for us to go behind, but we showed a great response. The whole team battled well, which I'm proud of."

Clemens Fritz: "We needed a moment to recover after going behind, as we'd had a few chances of our own beforehand, but the equaliser shortly after the break was very important. We noticed at that point that we had something about us today. In the end, we were rewarded for our courage."

Anthony Ujah: "We knew that every team has a chance in the cup and we embraced that today. We piled on a lot of pressure in the first half but we didn't score a goal. The face that we put four past Gladbach in one half makes me very proud. It was a superb performance from us and we're all pleased to be in the next round."

Janek Sternberg: "You could see today that we were on our game from the very first minute. We didn't take the easy option and we were willing to sacrifice ourselves for our teammates. That was the key to victory."

Thomas Eichin: "The whole team collectively put in a great performance today. We were courageous, aggressive and above all dangerous on the wings. We created good chances for ourselves through that route. I have to compliment the boys for that. I think that the win was well deserved."

Jannik Vestergaard: "We came here with the aim of getting through to the quarter-finals. The task in Gladbach was very hard, but we came into the game well, everyone battled hard, and we showed character after going behind. We all needed this win. We now know that we're in a position to build on this performance. We'll only start to celebrate on Saturday if we win in Frankfurt. For that, we'll need to take confidence from today's performance."

On Sternberg's goal:

Janek Sternberg: "It'd be nice if I could put my feelings into words. I'm so happy to have scored - especially in the cup. It's just a great feeling. I can't exactly remember what happened. I saw the ball come back to me and I let fly. The next thing I saw was the ball in the back of the net and I just ran off."

On the substitution of Fritz:

Clemens Fritz: "I took a knock to the thigh relatively early on in the first half and I noticed straight away that it was hindering me. We treated it at half time and bandaged it up, but I couldn't play on. We'll see tomorrow if there's a chance of me playing at the weekend."

On the attacking duo of Pizarro and Ujah:

Anthony Ujah: "When we play together and have a good day, it's hard for our opponents. We showed today against a top team that we can play together well. I'm very pleased that Claudio scored. When he's fully fit, he'll be a huge help for us in the second half of the season."

On the final game before the winter break in Frankfurt:

Thomas Eichin: "It would be okay for us to celebrate today's win a little, but we have a very hard game ahead. We desperately need points to ease our situation going into the winter break."

Anthony Ujah: "The fans and everyone at the club can really celebrate this win, but we have to think about Saturday. The Bundesliga is more important. We really want to break away from the relegation battle. For that we need to feel that sense of achievement."

Jannik Vestergaard: "We need to take all the positives from this game. 
Such a win gives you confidence. But the Bundesliga is a more important 
competition for us, we are desperate to win on Saturday."

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