Kenan Karaman: We gave it absolutely everything right to the end

Miron Muslic:

It was a strong performance from us. We worked so hard from the very first whistle. Darmstadt handled the absence of their top striker Isac Lidberg quite well, even though his injury naturally changed their structure a bit, which was a small advantage for us. We were still able to defend and block everything they threw at us. The only thing missing was a bit more pressure on the ball when Darmstadt switched play with their diagonal passes. We scored a really cool goal early on – exactly in line with our principles.

We started the second half really well and should have rewarded ourselves with a second goal – we were definitely closer to it. Darmstadt’s first shot on target came in the 75th minute, which was the point when they went all in. Any team in the world has problems in the final minutes when it’s only 1-0, but we defended superbly and didn’t allow them any major chances. Now we need to catch our breath and regroup. In five days, we go again. We’ll need to be just as well prepared for the cup match.

Florian Kohfeldt:

Schalke deserved to get the win in my opinion. I thought the first half was fairly even. We had a few promising attacks down the left but were too sloppy in our play. Schalke had two really good chances and took one of them brilliantly. The second half was split into two parts: for the first 25 minutes Schalke were clearly better, but after our changes we gained more control, even if we didn’t create any clear-cut opportunities. That’s ultimately why we have to head home today with a defeat.

Hasan Kuruçay:

We’re defending really well at the moment and going out every week to get three points. Things are going great right now. Working together as a team makes everything easier. Winning at home is always a highlight for me, so I give my all every week for that. Now our focus turns to the cup.

Kenan Karaman:

It was definitely hard work tonight. We went into the game with confidence, determined to win in front of our fans, and we started just as we planned. We pressed well and got our reward with a fantastic goal from Moussa. We had more chances after that but lacked precision in our play – we could’ve created one or two better openings. Still, we defended our lead really well. Our aim is always to stay compact, make life as difficult as possible for the opposition and double up at the right moments. That’s how we take away their rhythm. The early goal gave us a real boost and added confidence. We gave it absolutely everything until the very end.