Karel Geraerts: A nice way to cap off an important week

S04 head coach Karel Geraerts looked back at his side’s 2-1 win over Hansa Rostock on Saturday (11/5). The Belgian was happy with the final scoreline, despite not being too impressed by the Royal Blues’ first-half display. Rostock coach Mersad Selimbegović also spoke after the game, while Thomas Ouwejan and Ibrahima Cissé were interviewed in the Mixed Zone. Read what the coaches and players had to say below.

Karel Geraerts:

We were quite fortunate to be 2-1 up at the break. We weren’t necessarily the better team and we weren’t really on the ball with our tackling. I wasn’t happy. The team reacted well to what I said at half time, however. I was pleased about that. We always tried to win any loose balls, but we should’ve scored a third goal to put the game to bed. We had the chances to do so after Rostock went down to ten men. It stayed exciting right up until the final whistle, as the opposition can always create threats from long balls forward. I’m proud of my team for how they’ve dealt with the pressure they’ve been under for the past few weeks. They’ve stuck together as a unit. The victory is a nice way to cap off what has been a very, very important week for us.

Mersad Selimbegović:

We played well in the first half, but we went into the break a goal down. We could’ve taken the lead ourselves and we would’ve taken being level at least. We didn’t get off to a great start in the second half – we lost our shape and things were a bit hectic as a result. Of course, the fact that the hosts were ahead at the start of the second half benefitted them. The game became more one-sided after the red card, even though we tried to give it our all once again. There were a few nervy moments towards the end of the game, as we had to try and make something happen while we were a man down. I saw that the team wanted it, which is why I’m disappointed. Staying in the division is no longer in our hands. We’ve got to wait and see how the teams around us get on this weekend. We might get another chance.

Thomas Ouwejan:

When you find yourself in a tricky spot in the standings, it’s not always easy to get out of it. We’ve managed to get ourselves out of danger as a team over the past few weeks. The atmosphere at the stadium was special today. I would have loved to set up one more goal for Simon Terodde – we’ve always had a good connection. We’ve spent three good years together. He’s had a fantastic career.

Ibrahima Cissé:

I’m happy that the coach showed faith in me and gave me the chance to start. I’m also happy that we won today. It was a nice day for our fans and, above all, a good send-off for Simon Terodde and Danny Latza in their last home games as Schalke players.

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