1. FSV Mainz 05 earned a late draw against SC Freiburg as they closed out matchday 25 on Sunday evening. Based on their chances in the closing minutes, it was a lucky but not undeserved point for the Zerofivers. Read on for all the post-match reaction from within the Mainz camp.
Martin Schmidt: “We did all we could today, and overall it could have been 0-0. The first half was defined by a tactical battle with each side having one clear-cut chance on goal. After the break, it was more chaotic and typical that it would be an individual error that influenced the game. From that point on, Freiburg did only what they needed to and they are difficult to outplay. They were more alert than we were. I was pleased to see that we began to pose more of a threat with our substitutions and the changes to our formation. In the end, it was a deserved goal for us, even if the timing of it was a bit unfortunate for Freiburg.”
Karim Onisiwo: “I’m glad that we managed to take a point today. We started well and had chances to score, and were then caught narrowly offside. The second half wasn’t as good. Freiburg pushed hard to play long balls to Gregoritsch. We need to show a different side to ourselves next time. The positive thing we can take from today is that the players who came off the bench brought fresh impetus to our game and I’m glad the ball fell perfectly to my feet at the end. It’s obviously very emotional when you score the equaliser in the 96th minute. It just burst out and the entire stadium was on their feet. We’re unbeaten in six games now – we want to continue this run.”
Robin Zentner: “I had claimed the ball that was coming in when we conceded, but it didn’t work out as planned because Doan snuck past Edi. It’s difficult to defend that and we just need to do a better job of clearing it. The feeling of relief when we equalised was huge. However, I think we deserved that goal based on the chances that we had.”