“Something very close to our hearts” – Ukraine friendly reaction

We heard from some of the Gladbach players following Ukraine’s 2-1 win in Wednesday’s charity friendly at BORUSSIA-PARK.

Patrick Herrmann: As an athlete, you normally want to win every single game, but we’re fine with losing today. It wasn’t about points, but simply about Ukraine getting some match practice and giving them a good test. I think everyone has profited from it. You could tell from the start that Ukraine were keen to get stuck in and that it would be a tough fight. I think it was an entertaining match with a number of chances, and that our opponents just managed to edge it today. It was nice to see the crowd enjoying themselves. The atmosphere was fantastic, even though I’m used to something a bit different at BORUSSIA-PARK. I was just happy to see the fans happy. It’s been a great day all round for me following my contract extension earlier on.

Nico Elvedi: It was of course a very special game and a great one for the fans in particular. I think that we made a strong statement against the war in Ukraine today. You obviously see everything that is happening over there at the moment. I’m happy that we were able to give the Ukrainian fans something to cheer with today’s game. For the club and for all of us involved, it was something very close to our hearts.

Rocco Reitz: It was an amazing feeling playing in front of fans at BORUSSIA-PARK. We didn’t get a chance to meet the Ukraine players ahead of the game, but we were able to chat to them a little just before kick-off. We just said to stay strong and that we wish the very best to their families and loved ones. On a sporting level, today was also a good chance for me to showcase myself, and I’m glad that I was able to play 90 minutes. I covered a lot of ground and tried to put myself about. It was a lot of fun. Ukraine have a strong team and really pushed hard.