“A bitter start”

„It was a phased game, because both teams had more of a share of the game at times. Fortuna seemed very mature, we had to find a structure, but we didn’t allow much ourselves. We didn’t come out of halftime well, allowed too many set pieces and then our best player to date scored an own goal, followed by a short period of shaking. Afterwards we had a great opportunity to level through Kai Klefisch. Overall, it was a passionate performance from my team. The defeat is unfortunate, as is the red card. You can certainly give this card, but in such cases I think it’s a shame when the first gut decision on the pitch is overturned by the VAR.

„As a coach, I enjoyed the game, even though it might not have been a particularly good experience from the outside. It was tactically very balanced with two very disciplined teams. Both teams didn’t allow much space to play in. It was therefore very demanding, to find these spaces. Overall, we made a few changes at half-time because we didn’t have enough depth in our game. We needed to do a lot better in the second half, the game opened up – that was the own goal. The home team ran after it, but the red card ended the game. „

„The course of the game was bitter. We started the game well, didn’t allow much and Düsseldorf had hardly any chances in the first half. For us, on the other hand, a lot of what we had planned worked out. We already had one or two situations in the penalty area, but we missed making it 1-0. We didn’t start well in the second half. We had a lot of set pieces against us, which resulted in the first goal being conceded. We were happy. But there is still potential for improvement. The way we conceded goals and the red card against us was simply unfortunate.“

… about the red card:

„For me it wasn’t a clear wrong decision. That’s why I don’t understand why he watched it again. No blame at all for Otto. We should have avoided the action before it got there.“

„It’s a bitter start. The game was evenly balanced for long stretches, Düsseldorf had a period of pressure right after the break, otherwise neither team was really compelling on the offensive. We had the best opportunity shortly after falling behind with the double chance. We would have liked to have started the season with points, but Düsseldorf is certainly not a walk-in customer. Now we want to score points in Paderborn in order to really start the season.“

…about the red card:

„A childhood dream came true for Otto today and of course it hurts a lot to fly straight off the pitch. Of course we try to build him up in the best possible way, just like the fans did immediately after the game. I found this tact outstanding and Otto realised that these things also belong to Darmstadt 98. It is certainly a tough first test, but it will strengthen him for the future.“