„Deservedly advanced to the next round of the cup“

„First of all, all the best to the fan. We’re thinking of him and hope he gets through this difficult situation well. The fans handled the situation with incredible respect – Darmstadt and Schalke supporters were united. The way the support was announced again also deserves a mention. Regarding the match itself: We were all really fired up for this cup game and played a very, very good game today. On Friday, we lacked courage. Today, however, we played courageous, purposeful, and fast-paced football – both with and without the ball. I was incredibly pleased with that. We deservedly advanced to the next round of the cup. We’re very happy about that.“

„I’d like to join in the well wishes for a speedy recovery. Congratulations again to Darmstadt and Florian on their absolutely well-deserved victory. We didn’t show the qualities that have distinguished us in recent weeks and months. The only positive thing about the first half was that it was only 2-0. We felt we still had a chance at halftime if we could have stayed solid and not conceded a third goal. But then we made a glaring error in our build-up play, which Darmstadt ruthlessly exploited to make it 3-0 and seal the deal. If we’re not at 100 percent, we have no chance in the cup, especially against a team from our league. These kinds of defeats are painful, but unfortunately, they’re part of the game. We’ll get back up.“

„First of all: all the best to the fan and get well soon from us. You could tell from the start that we were determined to win this game. We tried to use our energy to turn the game in our favour. The team immediately sensed that there was a lot at stake today. We felt it during the warm-up, and the fans really got us pumped up on the way here. The coaching staff is very effective in their analysis. We knew that Schalke are aggressive when they don’t have the ball. But when they push up high, there have to be spaces somewhere. We didn’t find them on Friday, but we did much better today. We created enough scoring opportunities and were very clinical. That’s how you get a game like this.“

Regarding his starting appearance…

„There’s always a bit of excitement. Being in the starting eleven for the first time in a year and a half is something special, especially in a floodlit match at the Bölle. Everyone gets butterflies in their stomach. It was an amazing feeling for me. I think these are the moments you train for week after week.“

„That was a perfect cup night tonight. Because we brought to the pitch from the very first second what we were missing on Friday. We played with incredible intensity off the ball and found excellent solutions with it. All in all, it was a well-deserved victory. We took the lead, and then it’s difficult to score against us. We adapted to Schalke on Friday, but today we didn’t care. From the first second, we played our own game. We radiated danger and energy from every angle. That was one of our best performances of the season. I’m delighted that Bartosz scored. It’s those little things that make the evening even sweeter. Today it wasn’t a question of system, but of energy, and we executed that very well. We settled a score, and we can continue like this. The great thing is, when you say beforehand that an evening match at the Bölle is awesome: And it was.“

…regarding the medical emergency:

„I saw that something was wrong in the North Stand. A huge thank you to the fans and especially to all the emergency services. We wish him all the best and a speedy recovery!“