"A Collective Failure"

VfL Bochum 2-0 Mainz 05 (HT: 0-0)

Niko Bungert: "We're extremely disappointed. We never really got into the game today. Bochum played well and turned it into a proper cup tie. We weren't alert enough and lacked confidence on the ball. If you don't get the basics right, it's simply not enough, even against a second-division side. We fell short both going forward and defensively. It's difficult to explain what happened today. It was a collective failure. Conceding straight after the break really knocked the wind out of our sails. We only started to look dangerous towards the end, but by then it was too late to find a way back into the game. Our cup journey is over, and we want to show a completely different side of ourselves against Elversberg on Friday. We need to play with more confidence and be more compact."

Phillipp Mwene: "We're frustrated with our own performance. We fell short in so many areas and deserved to lose. Even before half-time, we were giving the ball away too cheaply and repeatedly leaving ourselves vulnerable to counterattacks. We simply didn't show enough, either in terms of our fighting spirit or our football. We need to analyse why we lose concentration at certain moments. Today, it happened straight after the break. But we can't dwell on this for too long. We need to show a completely different side of ourselves on Friday and deliver a response."

Paul Nebel: "We didn't play well and struggled to find solutions. They defended deep, and we found it difficult to break them down. We were sloppy in possession and barely created any chances. When we lost the ball, we were too far away from our opponents to put them under pressure. We need to get back to defending as a compact unit because that's what made us so strong last season. On a personal level, the positive thing is that I managed to play 80 minutes without any problems. Of course, I'm fully aware that my own performance wasn't good enough either. We need to bring more energy onto the pitch against Elversberg."