FC St. Pauli

Head coach Alexander Blessin: “We came here to get a result and wanted to play with courage and I think we were able to do that for long periods, but we gifted them the goals, which is incredibly annoying. We responded magnificently after going one down and had some good moments in our pressing play and on winning possession. We only took a few touches to get the ball forward quickly and wanted to carry on like that after the break, but we fell asleep at the back and shipped two quick goals. We knew we couldn’t keep Bayern away from our goal for 90 minutes, but we could have come away with more with a bit of luck. It was a good, committed performance from my team, but we can’t be satisfied. Our 25 points won’t be enough. We have to make sure we get the points somewhere else. It’s a performance we can build on.”

Jackson Irvine: “We knew it was going to be a tough task today, but we had some good moments against a top side, particularly in the first half where we showed a lot of good play and were able to play through their pressure a number of times, though we were a little bit slack with the goals we gave away today. We know they will create chances. They're quality players with creativity. The performance has to be perfect against a team like them and you have to defend with maximum focus and energy every second, but we can be proud of the performance today. It’s in our hands, we’re in a position of strength, so we have seven games to fight for our lives to make sure it stays that way. They’re seven cup finals. The other teams will be trying to catch us, so we have to fight even harder in every game.”

Elias Saad: “I’m obviously delighted to score at long last and to score here is very special. The ball in from Manos was perfect and I was a bit surprised to have so much space. I’m obviously disappointed we lost the game. We covered a lot of distance in the first half and it got tougher after the break. It was harder to make the runs after we went 2-1 down and Bayern are simply Bayern. They’re so good and it isn’t easy. The two goals give us a good feeling. It shows we’re capable of scoring.”

Connor Metcalfe: “In the first half we put up a good fight but if you look at all the goals it was basically our fault because we weren’t all in position. If you make a mistake against Bayern, they’re going to score. We did our best and fought to the end. Scoring two goals here at the Allianz Arena was a positive and we can build on that. I was so happy to be back after six months out and I didn’t expect to play that long. My parents are here as well and finally got to see me play. It was a special moment for me.”

Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich head coach): “St. Pauli have shown themselves to be a well organised team for most of the season, which is why they haven’t conceded many goals or given away many chances. We were prepared for that. In the first half we had to be patient, and in the second we created some good opportunities. St. Pauli had some good moments in the first half. If the last pass or shot had been better, they could have been a bigger threat.”

Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters