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RB Leipzig defeated TSG Hoffenheim 1-0 on Bundesliga matchday 30.
Here’s what RBL Head Coach Marco Rose, Christopher Nkunku, Kevin Kampl, Willi Orbán and Max Eberl had to say on the game.
Marco Rose:
- “We had a very good first half and created lots of chances. Christo scored a well-earned goal and we didn’t let much through in general. We didn’t do things quite so well after the break. We lost a bit of control in the game and had fewer spells of possession.
We made four changes to try and combat that, and we managed to keep our clean sheet – that means we’re delighted with the 1-0 win. That will give us some momentum going into the next week with the two important games against Freiburg. There’s lots to be decided still, so today’s win was crucial.”
Christopher Nkunku:
- “It was really important to get the three points today. We worked really hard. I was really pleased with my goal; I’m pleased to be back out on the pitch and able to help the team.
The coach pushed us to the end. Winning the game does us good, and on a personal note, the 60 minutes that I played really helped me. We have to focus on ourselves and we can qualify for the Champions League. That’s out goal and we will achieve it. Our full focus is on the two games against Freiburg now.“
Kevin Kampl:
- “It was a really important win today, especially after the defeat in Leverkusen last week. You could see how happy we were at full time, also when taking the league table into account. Today it was a different game in the first half when compared to last week. We had around five big chances and we should have put the game to bed.
However, we’re not managing to close games out early at the moment, and then the opponent start to feel like they might be able to take something. In the second half we didn’t manage to create enough space when we had possession to force them into chasing the play.
We’ve made two points of ground on Union Berlin with the win today, which is really important. We have a decisive week in Freiburg ahead of us. We want to get back to the DFB-Pokal final and above all we want to qualify for the Champions League – that’s our main objective and to do that we need to give our all.“
Willi Orbán:
- “There are not many games left, so the result is even more important. At the end of the day, we’re pleased with it; we were really secure in defence and didn’t allow them anything. At the same time, we know that we should have closed the game out sooner. But it’s a good thing that we’re creating good chances and getting into space.
We have important goals and we want to qualify for the Champions League and get back to the cup final. We have to prepare well for the upcoming tasks. Freiburg are a really good team and are in good form. It will be a tough fight and an intense game. It will be exciting right until the final league game. We have to take it step by step.“
Max Eberl:
- “We want to keep up in our race to qualify for the Champions League and we managed to do that today, even if the game was a big tight. We have to do our job and win our games. We can’t pass up any opportunities because we don’t have many games left. It was a good performance in the first half and we could have made things easier for ourselves if we had capitalised on the Hoffenheim mistakes.
In the second half we didn’t find as many solutions and therefore the game remained a tight one until the end. The three points were extremely important. Now we’re looking ahead to the cup game against Freiburg and then facing them in the league. We want to win both games.“
Emil Forsberg:
- “We started the game really well; we were really dangerous and played with speed. We could have scored one or two more, but overall it was a good performance. It got a little bit nervy in the second half. Christo scored a nice goal – he has everything in his game.
In the end, we won the game and showed good mental strength. Sometimes a 1-0 is good for the team. The three points keep us up there and there’s a lot to play for in these final few weeks. We have to enjoy it and not panic.“
