Hofmann: “A great team performance”

Jonas Hofmann spoke to the media after his brace in the stunning 3-2 win over FC Bayern. The 28-year-old discussed…

…the run of play: It was a real fight. We struggled a bit at the start, I have to admit. After that, though, we got into the game. I don’t think many people would have thought we were capable of coming from 2-0 down to win it. Our first two goals came from moves that we had worked on before the game. Bayern defend with a high line and we wanted to get in behind them, which we did brilliantly. Going ahead right after the break was obviously great and it really boosted us. At the end, it was a tough fight at the back, but I think that’s part and parcel of defending a lead – especially against Bayern. We’re so happy.

…Marco Rose’s instructions: The coach wanted me to run in behind, not just so that Lars and Denis had more space themselves. You obviously need players to play the right balls, which we have. It was a great team performance and we scored some really nice goals.

…his calmness in front goal: I think I’ve improved thanks to my experience. I’m able to more regularly stay calm in front of goal and not panic, whether I’m shooting or assisting. Nevertheless, I wasn’t as relaxed in front of goal at Bielefeld last week, but it was better this time. The most important thing is that the shots went in and we went on to win the game.

…his second goal, which was originally given offside: I immediately made a gesture towards the linesman to say it wasn’t offside. That was just my feeling at the time. I couldn’t be certain though – after all, it’s a matter of centimetres. The fact that we had to wait to celebrate doesn’t matter to me – the only thing that’s important is that the goal stood.

…the nervy closing stages: I wasn’t anxious about us potentially conceding the equaliser, because our defenders were brilliant yesterday and they dealt with numerous dangerous situations expertly.

...his impressive fitness levels after his injury: It’s not like the body doesn’t react to anything, although I rarely have to come off in the 85th minute because I’m closing to getting cramp. I was lucky that I was able to start running again fairly soon after my injury and I didn’t lose much strength. I’m just happy to be back on the pitch and it’s even better when I’m scoring goals and we’re winning.