The fact that Werder still have a theoretical chance of securing a UEFA Cup spot was not something that interested anyone on Wednesday evening. The disappointment simply sat too deep...
The fact that Werder still have a theoretical chance of securing a UEFA Cup spot was not something that interested anyone on Wednesday evening. The disappointment simply sat too deep...
The fact that Werder still have a theoretical chance of securing a UEFA Cup spot was not something that interested anyone on Wednesday evening. The disappointment simply sat too deep: “We came here to fight for our Champions League existence, a point is no consolation. We haven’t achieved our goal. That’s a fact! Maybe we’ll take a look at the table tomorrow and consider the fact that it’s still possible for us to make third place in the group,” commented a very frustrated Christian Vander as he spoke to the gathered members of the press.
It had been a turbulent affair, during which Werder had a number of problems creatively, despite their dominance in possession. Then the Green-Whites conceded two goals, but showed moral as they bounced back to equalise late on: “It was only towards the end that we had the courage and belief that we could leave the pitch here with all three points. Unfortunately that process took too long to unfold. We attempted to find gaps in their defence but we should have begun doing that a lot earlier. We are massively disappointed,” admitted trainer Thomas Schaaf at the end of the game.
The fact that Werder clawed their way back into the tie so late on almost makes the Champions League exit seem all the more painful. Central defender Per Mertesacker said: “We have missed out on what would have been a sort of cup final against Inter Milan, although we had our fate in our own hands tonight. That is very, very bitter. We only really forced the issue late on and I actually thought that we might pull it off. After we made it 2-2, Famagusta were astounded and we were euphoric enough to want to keep pressing forward in search of the winner.”
