“The feeling couldn’t be better”

„It was a second-division game, and there was a brief moment where the game could have gone the other way. We broke through a few of the opposition’s resistances, which was important for us. Today, we played solid football and found good moments to pick up the pace. I was very pleased with many of the players individually. Fraser was very good and was able to create a numerical advantage time and again. Marco Richter made his debut after just two training sessions. I also have to praise Clemens Riedel; he delivered a top performance at right back following Sergio Lopez’s last-minute injury. Overall, it was a decent start—nothing more, but also nothing less. The key is to keep going!“

„Congratulations to Florian and Darmstadt 98 on a well-deserved win. We hadn’t imagined the first game going well. Our defensive play wasn’t good today. We made it easy for the opponent to get into the transition zone. Of course, Darmstadt also played very well. Nevertheless, we had chances to turn the game around in the first half. However, we shouldn’t have played the bad pass just before halftime. Our defence was also poor, and Lidberg was simply quicker in his thinking. We completely deserved to lose the game after conceding goals three and four.“

„The feeling couldn’t be better. Starting with three points is incredibly important and gives us a lot of confidence. We played well today, the result is good – now we hope to carry this momentum and continue our success. Our goal is always to win games and, if possible, keep a clean sheet. I’m especially happy for Fabian Holland that he was able to celebrate his comeback – he’s a great player and extremely important to the team on a personal level. The chemistry within the team is just right. A big compliment also to Marco, who put in a strong performance today despite having only had a few sessions with us. And of course, I’m also happy about my three goals – I hope there’s still one left for me to take home.“

„A dream start would have been 4-0, of course, because I always want to keep a clean sheet. But even so, we’re very happy with the result. We played a strong game against a really good opponent, and it’s a successful start to the new season. The 2-1 came at a perfect time. We were particularly dangerous from set pieces today, even though Bochum is a robust and physically strong team. A huge compliment to our assistant coach Scholty (Darius Scholtysik). I’m happy that I was able to contribute to the win with two saves. I’m not upset about the goal conceded – it was an extremely difficult ball for Patric Pfeiffer to defend. That made his reaction and that of the entire team all the more remarkable. And of course, I’m thrilled that Fabian Holland was able to make his comeback today. He’s a very important anchor in our team, both on and off the pitch. It was a strong start, but preparations for Nürnberg begin tomorrow. The work continues.“