Working hard together

“After the trip to Russia we wanted to top the week off. That went well,” explained Guido Burgstaller, who scored his first goal of the season in Düsseldorf. The goal was a big relief for the Austrian, who, however, feels that “the team winning is more important than his goals.”

“I got goosebumps”

“I said after the defeats that you could notice how established the club is,” stated Christian Heidel. “When I think about how amazing the support of our fans is I simply get goosebumps. The cohesion between the team and the fans is out of this world.” This was clear to see after the game, as Domenico Tedesco hugged every single player.

“We are delighted to get another three points. Wins are important in a situation like ours, regardless of where you are in the table,” said the head coach. “The first goal was important for our confidence and allowed us to settle down in the game.” Weston McKennie scored the first goal, just like in Moscow on Wednesday.

Heidel carried on the praise: “Weston has the talent to play as a defensive and attacking midfielder. Therefore we are glad to have him in the squad.” The sporting director also praised the man who got the second goal: “I’m also pleased for Burgi. He had been missing a goal. He’s worked his socks off and deserved this reward.”

Incredible unity in the squad

The opponent’s head coach also praised Schalke: “I’m convinced that Schalke will carry on picking up more points in the next few weeks,” said Friedhelm Funkel, who hasn’t defeated the Royal Blues in 21 years. The game could have ended differently however. If Benito Raman had taken his chance after four minutes, Schalke could have been behind early on. “My heart stopped for a second when he had that chance,” revealed Heidel. “Thankfully we turned the tide and we are back to winning games. We can’t automatically think that we will carry on like this though. We have to take it day by day and work hard. I’m sure the lads will do that, they are a united bunch who want to be successful together.

Captain Ralf Fährmann is proud that the team has withstood a difficult period. “We kept on receiving big blows, but I’m immensely happy that we’ve won all three games this week and also that I’ve kept three clean sheets as well”. It was also important for Fährmann that the whole team plus the coaching team celebrated the win in front of the away fans after the game: “Every player has contributed to the wins against Mainz, Lokomotive and Düsseldorf. The unity in this squad is just incredible!”