“Willing to work as hard as possible for the full 90 minutes”

The Zerofivers celebrated their fourth home win in a row with a 1-0 victory against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday afternoon. Mainz’s resolute defence were the key to the win, with the guests barely able to create any chances at the MEWA ARENA. “We kept the intensity high, which is good for us,” sporting director Martin Schmidt said about the game.

Martin Schmidt: “Sometimes, you have to be able to sense when a goal is coming. In my opinion, the groundwork for today’s win was laid in defence. We barely allowed them any clear-cut chances. That’s what makes us strong at the minute. The second half was a bit more open. We wanted to score a second goal, while Hoffenheim made some substitutions and things got a little crazy. We kept the intensity high, which is good for us. Things are going well at the moment and we want to stay in the top half of the table.”

Danny da Costa: “We were ready and willing to take on this fight, because today wasn’t about playing nice football. Hoffenheim headed into this game under a lot of pressure. We defended well, which is something that starts with our front line already. What defines us is our strong mentality, as well as our team spirit, because everyone knows their teammates are willing to back them up. Sometimes, all you need is to score from a set piece to get all three points. In the past, we’ve struggled to win close games like this. Now, we’re ready and willing to work as hard as possible for the full 90 minutes. Everyone is enjoying it, both in training and in the games.”

Stefan Bell: “It was an intense game. Hoffenheim are prepared to fight hard to survive and you could see that today. There were a number of attacks that came from second balls. We managed to keep things tight and were more dangerous than them. It was generally an even game and the set piece decided it.”

Andreas Hanche-Olsen: “Today was another important win and our fourth in a row. The first half was good in particular, we made life difficult for Hoffenheim. They were better after the break. Our intensity has been key for our success in recent games. I’m really happy that I moved here in the winter and that I’m part of the team’s improved performances. We don’t want to let up and are really ambitious. We know what’s possible but we have to keep working hard.”