UCL, Leverkusen vs. Inter: "A balanced affair, disappointing to lose"

“We put in a lot both physically and mentally. They are really strong in possession, and we did well until the 90th minute. We’re really disappointed with the goal, which is something we didn’t deserve. We’ve played a lot of matches against some very strong sides, and they’re a step ahead. Now, we have Lazio coming up and want to bounce back. We still have many matches to play.”

“We produced a good performance tonight but still could have done better. We played as a team against a very strong side, and it’s a shame about the goal we conceded in the last minute. They’re excellent in possession and display a lot of quality and dynamism, and we all needed to be focused and organised. I think we gave it our all. Now, however, we need to concentrate on our next two league matches.”

“That’s football for you. We prepared for the match well, and it really hurts to concede a goal like that. I have to give credit to Bayer Leverkusen because they’re an excellent side and were dynamic and aggressive, but we stayed compact for the entire match. We know that Lazio are an excellent side, and we’ll face them fully aware that we’ll be up against one of the most in-form teams in the league.”

“It’s never nice to lose, but we knew we’d be up against an excellent team. Today, we’ve suffered a disappointing defeat. We always aim to win, but this result mustn’t undermine our confidence or our journey so far. We need to look forward in a positive manner, both in the Champions League and in the league, and, from tomorrow, turn our attentions to our match against Lazio. It’s disappointing to concede in the last minute and we were a bit unlucky, but that’s football for you. We supported each other and took to the pitch with the right determination and focus, and that has to be our foundation. Our match against Lazio will be a tough one against a high-quality side. We’ll need to be very attentive and focused and produce a great performance to bring home the three points.”

“We came under a lot of pressure from our opponents, who are a very strong side. At times, we had the space to do better and hurt them, but it went the way it did today. We’ll take lessons from this experience and see what comes next.”