"I'm so grateful to everyone here"

Mainz 05 3-1 VfL Wolfsburg

Niko Bungert: “The key today was that we kept going for the full 90 minutes, no matter what happened. We were behind at half time, but that was the only thing that wasn’t right about today. The general mood at half time was that we wanted to go back out and keep on in the exact same vein – we were confident we’d win the game if we did that. The lads were alert and dominant for the entire 90 minutes. Huge credit to them. It was an outstanding performance from the third minute onwards. That was a clear step in the right direction.”

Stefan Bell: “I was involved a lot in attacking situations today, which is a sign of a dominant performance. We had a lot of corners and throw-ins, so we were often in their box. The game was pretty bad for the first 15 minutes. Then we pulled ourselves together, kept improving and basically controlled the game right through to the final whistle. Even the missed penalty didn’t knock us off course. We stayed positive and really should have been ahead by halftime. Mentally, we were very strong and stable, which is so valuable. We turned a deficit around, dealt with setbacks and never panicked. The key moment was definitely the equaliser after about the 12th or 13th corner. After that, we felt we were going to win the game.”

Phillip Tietz: “It was a real emotional rollercoaster for me personally. The penalty was just poorly taken, or it would have gone in. I also had more chances before halftime, which was frustrating. At the end of the day, we’ve now won two out of two home games, which is fantastic. All of us, including the fans, showed real character. Scoring the goal was a great feeling, but I’m so grateful to everyone here for how I’ve been welcomed. You’re able to put in better performances in an environment like that.”