Calhanoglu: 'We worked well as a team today'
Leverkusen - Bayer 04 Leverkusen warmed up for Wednesday's crucial UEFA Champions League play-off second leg with a 1-0 victory over Hannover 96, courtesy of a trademark Hakan Calhanoglu free-kick.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
bundesliga.com rounds up the players' thoughts following die Werkself's narrow win at the HDI Arena...
Christoph Kramer: “We played very efficient football, letting the ball do the work. We did really well in the first half and for parts of the second half as well. Perhaps we should have scored earlier than we did. We were also solid at the back and hardly conceded any chances. During englische Wochen, victories like this are worth their weight in gold. Every point we get at the beginning of the season, especially away from home, is incredibly important. We’ve started the season with six points, which we can be proud of.”
Hakan Calhanoglu: “For the free-kick, I was just focused on myself and managed to strike the ball really well. The second free-kick was just as good, maybe even better, but that one didn’t go in unfortunately. We worked very well as a team today. It’s always important to win your first few games and start collecting points as quickly as possible. Long may it continue.”
Admir Mehmedi: “We were completely dominant today. The opposition barely had any sight of goal. We did very well.”
Hannover 96
Ron-Robert Zieler: “We obviously knew Leverkusen have fantastic players and play very good football. The manner in which we conceded the goal is obviously frustrating […] but we played ok for long periods of the game. We were lacking that little bit of composure in the final third - that’s something we still need to work on. But you have to bear in mind that we were playing against a well-organised side that didn’t make things easy for us.”
Oliver Sorg: “Leverkusen have got so many quality players - you just have to look at Calhanoglu’s two free-kicks. They’re no ordinary side: they’re playing in the Champions League on Wednesday. It’s disappointing that we lost, but it’s not as if we sank without a trace. We didn’t concede many chances, which was good. We played good football and were disciplined from start to finish. Despite the dropped points, we remain upbeat.”
