Thomas Reis: There are more important things than a game of football

The events on the pitch of course then became of little significance for all involved, as Thomas Reis and Bayer 04 head coach Xabi Alonso offered their sympathies to the fan’s loved ones. schalke04.com rounded up the key statements from the two coaches at the press conference.

Thomas Reis:

After this tragic news, it’s very difficult to talk about the game. There are more important things than a game of football. I would like to offer my sympathies to the family and friends of the person that passed away, and wish them strength at this difficult time.

There’s only one side to the story today; Leverkusen fully deserved their win. Our opponents demonstrated their quality on the pitch – we have to acknowledge and accept that. We had a very good first 10 minutes and could have taken the lead with a little bit of luck. We defended well for the rest of the first half, but we also didn’t make enough of our corners and free-kicks. You have to take full advantage of set-pieces against a good side like them if you want to pick up points. Our unbeaten run has come to an end, but our goal is to start a new one next week.

Xabi Alonso:

On behalf of our club, I would also like to offer my sympathies to the fan’s family. We’re very sorry to hear this sad news.

It was a tough match. We defended well and we had the right mentality. The first goal shortly after the restart was important for our confidence. The team’s development is positive, but we’re still taking it one game at a time. Our plan is clear to see, but we still have to prepare well for each game.

Leo Greiml and Ralf Fährmann spoke on TV shortly after full time at the VELTINS-Arena. At this point, there was no news that attempts at resuscitating the fan had sadly failed. As a result, the players spoke solely about events on the pitch.

Leo Greiml:

I thought we defended really well in the first half. Ralle also made a couple of great saves. After the break though, our opponents’ quality was all too clear to see. I’m proud to have played 90 minutes of Bundesliga football again for the first time in a while, as it’s my goal to always be competing with the best. I’m right back where I want to be physically following my injury, otherwise I wouldn’t have played today. I can’t get too excited about making my comeback though, as we lost the game. Now we need to keep working hard. I’m still confident that we will stay up.

Ralf Fährmann:

Leverkusen deserved their win. We gave our all and put in a real passionate and committed performance, but we came up against a team that just had more quality at their disposal than us. They created a lot of chances and caused us real problems with their pace. We will analyse the game, but then we will look to the next challenge with positivity and want to start a new run. We now have two important matches against Hoffenheim and Hertha.