“It’s a real shame” - Stuttgart match reaction

We gathered the thoughts from the players and coaches after Borussia’s 2-2 draw with VfB Stuttgart on Saturday evening.

Denis Zakaria: It’s a real shame that we couldn’t get the three points in the end. We were up against a very good Stuttgart team. We’ve conceded a lot of late equalisers already this season. We could certainly have avoided it today, but that’s how football is sometimes. We need to keep working hard, learn from this situation and focus on the next game.

Jonas Hofmann: The whole point of VAR is to intervene after clear and obvious mistakes, and that certainly wasn’t one. Breel Embolo was fouled the same way countless times during the game but we didn’t get a free-kick, but then there’s a decision like that in the last second. It’s very frustrating because we bounced back really well after their equaliser. We struggled to keep hold of the ball at 2-1 up though and were just defending. Nevertheless, we would have got a scrappy three points under normal circumstances.

Christoph Kramer: The cross for their first goal was just incredibly good. We had lost the ball in attack and had stepped up the pitch, and the delivery was right between the two centre-backs – it’s really hard to defend that. It would have done us good to keep hold of the ball more. Stuttgart set up really well and had us chasing the ball. We didn’t have enough possession in the second half. When we did have the ball, we caused Stuttgart problems. In terms of the situation that led to the penalty, that’s never a foul for me.

Marco Rose: I think all in all it was a good game played at a high tempo. We played well in the first half, although Stuttgart started to have some good phases where they showed their quality on the counter. We took the lead, but then we didn’t come out of the break very well. We were too passive and didn’t control the ball well enough. They deserved their equaliser, but we were able to retake the lead straightaway. We actually did well after that and defended with passion. It’s a pity for the lads that we ended up getting a draw because we put a lot into it, but we’re in a phase at the moment where were just keep conceding goals. Ramy Bensebaini could have been a bit cleverer with his challenge, but it’s still not a clear and obvious mistake and so VAR shouldn’t be intervening. Waldemar Anton tripped Sasa Kalajdzic and that’s what led to him falling into Bensebaini.

Stuttgart head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo: We always have belief because we have come from behind in games a number of times before. The lads fought hard until the last second and got their reward. We got into the game well from around the 20th minute and continued to press courageously in the second half. We’ve picked up a point against a good side, so I’m not worried that we’re still without a home win this season. The performance was very positive, so there’s plenty for us to build on.