Sporting director Sebastian Kehl and head coach Edin Terzic were delighted with the premature qualification for the round of 16. Kehl spoke of a “mature performance”, while Terzic addressed the wave of illnesses: “We had a few lads on their last legs.”

Sebastian Kehl (in the mixed zone): “It was a real statement to secure progression in this group on the fifth matchday already. Not many expected that of us. We played a very good game and won another away match in the Champions League following a mature performance by the team. Gregor Kobel kept us in the game by saving the penalty, Marco Reus converted in ice-cold fashion at the other end. That put us on a very good footing in the game, we were very solid. We were very well set up tactically and made in-roads time and time again. The team is on the right track. The objective is to win the group.”

Edin Terzic (to Prime): “We’re very happy that we have managed to qualify prematurely from the Group of Death. The fact that we’ve managed to win two away matches is not to be taken for granted either. We had a few lads on their last legs. The doc told us beforehand who could play 30 minutes, who could play 45 and who could play 60. We now have a bit more time to recover because we’re only playing again on Sunday.” (br)