Oliver Baumann: “We actually had a great game, created a lot of chances for ourselves – especially in the first half we had some great chances but didn’t capitalise on them. Then we conceded too easily. With the free kick before they made it 0-1, the referee said that he blew the whistle because Stanley Nsoki committed a foul, but he made contact with the ball. We need to defend better against that set piece. That’s why it’s so bitter, because we could’ve done something here.”
Florian Grillitsch: “Unfortunately we didn’t make the most of our chances. In the first half, we had two or three good opportunities where we could’ve scored, or where we really should have scored. Then, against such an experienced team, we concede just before half time from a set piece that was certainly avoidable. And then you’re playing catch-up. In the second half we actually did well. It’s saying something if Porto hang back by their goal and let us have the ball. But then Porto switched just like that and scored again. At this level you have to make the most of your chances, otherwise you won’t get the win.”
Andrej Kramarić: “The defeat hurts, I’m angry. We played a good game, especially in the first half. Porto only had two chances, I expected a lot more from them. We performed well, but that’s just the nature of football. We need to recover for the game on Sunday at Heidenheim, who have a completely different playing style from Porto. It was such a shame about today.”
Anton Stach: “It’s extremely painful. It was because of my mistake that we conceded the second goal. But we can definitely be proud of our performance, because we could’ve actually won 2-0. We can build on that performance and hold our own at an international level too. Our coach said that we can be proud of ourselves, but we need to work on our efficiency.”
Alexander Prass: “I think that Porto tried to press us high, but we responded to it really well with good composure. That meant that Porto often couldn’t get into the challenges. We need to keep up how we played when we were in possession. There were lots of positives, we’re heading in the right direction, and it’s a positive trajectory. We can keep up with top European teams.”
Pellegrino Matarazzo: “We played well. In the first half we were very mature both offensively and defensively. In the second half we had to attack the spaces differently, but it was still a good game. The fact that we didn’t score any goals comes down to efficiency. We conceded from a set piece and an individual mistake. It really is a shame that we have to go home without anything to show for it. For me, the situation before the first goal wasn’t a foul by Stanley Nsoki – in fact, it might even have been a foul against Anton Stach when the cross was played. The timing of when we conceded was very unfortunate and frustrating.”
Vitor Bruno (Coach FC Porto): “Today the most important thing is that we won. We were playing against very strong opponents. It might not have been as elegant as we would’ve liked. But at the end of the day, the facts are that we won and we didn’t concede. In football it’s about being there at the decisive moments, and we did that today. Hoffenheim played the ball forward very quickly and very directly, and we struggled a bit with that at the beginning.”