Reactions: “A clean sheet — another reason why it was a successful day” | OneFootball

Sebastian Kehl (in the mixed zone): “We scored four goals and finally kept a clean sheet—that was one of our goals in the Champions League. We achieved that today, so we’re going home very happy. We can see that goal difference can play a big role in this league phase, so it was good that we pushed to score a fourth goal at the end. After a first half that had its ups and downs, we were able to push the game in the right direction. Of course, the red card had a big impact. We then had even more control of the ball and were able to build on our dominance. We have a lot of games coming up in the next few days and weeks, so we want to keep rotating the squad. That’s what makes the depth of the squad so important. As long as no one gets injured, we’ll definitely make use of that.”

Nico Schlotterbeck (on Prime): “The red card did us good. We came out of the half-time break better this time than we did against Stuttgart. All in all, we hardly allowed them any chances, except for one or two half-chances in the first half. In the second half, it was really good — just as we imagined it would be. Serhou (Guirassy, ed.) hasn’t had an easy time lately. The coach keeps putting his faith in him, and we do too. Then — let me put it this way — a simple goal is a weight off his shoulders. As a striker, you have to be there, and he has a feel for it. Two players go to the line. He does well and is in exactly the right place. We need 16 or 17 points (to qualify directly for the round of 16, ed.). We now have three games left, two of them at home. I believe that if you win both at home, you’re through. We’ve now scored four goals again. A goal difference like that could also be important in the end. After all, we kept a clean sheet for the first time. That’s another reason why it’s been a successful day all round. I’m going to go to the pool now, cycle a bit, and then go home, because the schedule is stressful.”

Daniel Svensson (in the mixed zone): “We had planned to go into the game with a lot of energy. It was still a tough first half, but then we kept up the pressure. In the second half, we were a bit lucky with the penalty and the red card, of course, but overall it was a solid performance. It’s always nice to score a goal.”

Julian Brandt (on BVB TV): “When we score four goals and win 4-0, that’s a good sign. We defended relatively well in the first half and controlled the game relatively well. But we lacked a bit of punch. Serhou’s goal just before half-time was the catalyst. We wanted to put more pressure on in the second half. The penalty and the red card opened the way for us to do that. We learned from last year that goal difference can be important. Four goals and three points are very good for us.”

Serhou Guirassy (on Prime): “It was an important win against a good Villarreal side. We are very happy with this result because it was important to win after the defeat against City. But Villarreal are a strong team. Some situations in the game went in our favour and we are satisfied tonight. It’s always nice to score goals. I’m happy that I can help the team. You can’t always score goals. We have to keep working hard.”Transcribed by Boris Rupert