“We had to win” | OneFootball

Head coach Dino Toppmöller, Sebastian Rode and Sasa Kalajdzic assess the 2-2 draw against SV Darmstadt 98.

Head coach Dino Toppmöller: “We were on it from the start, had good intensity, were up for the challenges and had some strong moments going forward. Up until the 60th minute it was a very good away performance. It felt to everyone, even from the outside, that we had the game under control. When they made it 2-1 we lost our way a bit. At the end of the day, we lose the ball in the opposition press in the 95th minute and the ball goes in. Based on the last half-hour, Darmstadt deserved the point. We have to look at ourselves because we were doing well, but only until the 60th minute.”

Sebastian Rode: “It’s a big disappointment for us, which you also saw at the final whistle. When you’re 2-0 up – in a derby to boot – then you want to win. The big blow in stoppage time is tough to take. Apart from the result, I’m very happy to have come back today and to have got a few minutes, especially in a derby in my home region.”

Sasa Kalajdzic: “We were dominant and didn’t really let anything past us. Then we stopped playing football. We lost our grip and then Darmstadt also played better. We should never have given this game away and we had to win. For our second goal I actually wanted to shoot into the far corner but didn’t strike it right, which turned into the perfect assist. We only have ourselves to blame for this draw.”

Sebastian Rode: “It’s a big disappointment for us, which you also saw at the final whistle. When you’re 2-0 up – in a derby to boot – then you want to win. The big blow in stoppage time is tough to take. Apart from the result, I’m very happy to have come back today and to have got a few minutes, especially in a derby in my home region.”

Sasa Kalajdzic: “We were dominant and didn’t really let anything past us. Then we stopped playing football. We lost our grip and then Darmstadt also played better. We should never have given this game away and we had to win. For our second goal I actually wanted to shoot into the far corner but didn’t strike it right, which turned into the perfect assist. We only have ourselves to blame for this draw.”