Stroke of genius sends Werder into DFB-Pokal semi-finals

The post-match reaction to Werder’s victory against Schalke
Werder progress to the semi-finals after a 2-0 victory (Photo: nordphoto).
First Team
Wednesday, 03.04.2019 / 23:16

SV Werder Bremen have secured a place in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals after a hard-fought battle against FC Schalke 04. “It wasn’t a spectacular win by any means but I am pleased with my team,” said Green-Whites head coach Florian Kohfeldt after the quarter-final victory. A spectacular Milot Rashica strike and a Davy Klaasen goal were enough to see the Green-Whites past Schalke, who proved to be tough opponents in front of their home crowd. Here is the post-match reaction to the DFB-Pokal quarter-final win in Gelsenkirchen.

On the outcome of the match:

An even match which ended in a Green-White victory (Photo: nordphoto).

Marco Friedl: It certainly was an even match. You could certainly see in the first half that both teams were trying to work out the other’s game plan. We lost the ball on too many unnecessary occasions and addressed this issue at half-time. In the second half, we were quicker and played more intensively. We had to work hard to secure the win tonight and were there in the decisive moments of the match. It was also a deserved win.

Max Kruse: I believe the first goal was the decisive moment in the match. We wanted to play better after half-time and score the opening goal. We also knew that Schalke are not so confident with their current form. The opening goal was therefore even more important. We continued to press and benefited from a stroke of luck as Davy’s shot bounced in off the post. It could’ve turned out differently. We were fortunate not to concede as Gudio Burgstaller hit the post. Until then, we actually defended very well. I have to compliment the team for the way in which we battled to victory. We can now celebrate and start to think about Gladbach and continuing our unbeaten run from tomorrow.

Frank Baumann: I’m not sure if tonight’s victory is fully deserved, it is difficult to say. I believe it was a very tight match and we took the lead through an incredible shot from Milot. After going 1-0 ahead, we played well against a strong Schalke side. We threw ourselves into the match but gave the ball away on too many occasions. As a result of this, we were a bit uncertain as we developed into the match. That is especially dangerous here at Schalke as the team carried the home side forwards. It was simply difficult surroundings to play in but we did well once we took the lead.

Florian Kohfeldt: Schalke defended very well and it was difficult for us to settle into the match. It wasn’t a spectacular victory but I’m pleased with my team. Schalke posed a constant threat and played with a lot of physicality. Breel Embolo and Guido Burgstaller offer them a lot of quality, they’re players you cannot take lightly. Therefore, I wasn’t taking any chances. Schalke had a couple of chances but overall we defended very well. After taking the lead, we also were able to control the match and secure the victory. We didn’t become nervous but that isn’t easy. We aren’t able to fully enjoy this moment, instead turning attentions to Sunday’s trip to face Gladbach. Now is the moment which matters, not next year.

Nuri Sahin: We had to approach the match flexibly and be able to adapt to a back four or back five if necessary. We came into the match much better as the match progressed. Our hard work proved to be decisive and it is paying off. Our training camp in South Africa has been important in helping us continue to improve. We have given consistently strong performances in the Rückrunde and we’ve grasped our opportunities. The results have been good and that was the case again tonight.

The chances of qualifying for Europe:

It wasn't an easy evening for Werder, a true cup fight (Photo: nordphoto).

Marco Friedl: I know we have been more focused on qualifying for the semi-finals and of course we would like to reach the final in Berlin if the chance comes our way. We want to win the DFB-Pokal. However, now we must continue to work hard in the Bundesliga to achieve our season targets. One thing comes after another. It shows that we are having a good season but there is still a long way to go and I hope we continue to enjoy success.

Frank Baumann: We are currently only thinking about our current situation. Anything else is just a distraction for us. We have to take each match as it comes and then we will see whether we are able to reach our season targets.

Florian Kohfeldt: If you were able to choose our direction for the rest of the season, you would probably say that we should qualify for Europe through the DFB-Pokal. However, we are certainly not thinking about this. We want to continue to defend our promising position in the Bundesliga on Sunday. We will see what happens in the semi-final in three weeks time.

Rashica’s goal

Max Kruse: Many people know what Milot can do in front of goal. His distribution is also very good and that shot would’ve gone out of the stadium on another day. The goalkeeper had no chance with that goal and that makes the goal even nicer.

Frank Baumann: This moment in the match helped to turn the match in our favour. Of course it was an exceptional strike. This was influential in the outcome of the match and we are delighted to have him. I was never as good as him at shooting so I never took a shot like that on. However, Milot is currently full of confidence and I’m therefore delighted for him that he scored this goal.

Florian Kohfeldt: Currently, it is no surprise to see Milot score a goal as good as that. He has the ability to do it and has shown it on multiple occasions in training.

Nuri Sahin’s dismissal

Nuri Sahin: We have to reach the final now… yes, it was a second yellow card. I had to make that challenge and I need to be more clever. I have already apologised for the late challenge.

 

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