“Everything seems to be going against you” - Thioune reacts to defeat in Cologne

“Everything seems to be going against you” - Thioune reacts to defeat in Cologne

Werder Bremen slipped to their second consecutive defeat earlier today, falling to a 3-1 loss against FC Köln. The visitors were dealt a series of early setbacks, conceding a penalty and receiving a red card within the opening 25 minutes. Forced to play with ten men for over an hour, Daniel Thioune’s side faced an uphill battle for much of the contest, with Romano Schmid’s 75th-minute penalty ultimately proving to be nothing more than a consolation.

Daniel Thioune shared his thoughts post-match:

“If you reduce it to the fact that you played with ten men for over an hour in an away game, that you conceded an early penalty, then basically everything seems to be going against you. Things are easier to explain then.

Generally, I was quite pleased that we were a bit more resilient in the second half and managed to come back, but the story of the game is relatively easily told by the penalty and the red card.”

Leonardo Bittencourt echoed his head coach’s sentiments:

“S****y day. It started badly with a penalty that I don't know if it should have been given. I was actually standing right in front of it. My feeling was that it wasn't a penalty, or at least not enough for a penalty. Then, after four minutes, it was 1-0 for Cologne. And then it continued with a red card.

But at halftime, Daniel found the right words and the right formation with one man down. In the second half, we tried to get a foothold in the game. We succeeded to some extent. In the end, more would have been possible, but it wouldn't have been deserved.”

Goalkeeper Mio Backhaus, who produced several important saves to keep Werder in the game, also reflected on the performance:

“I was disappointed that we didn't get the reward we deserved in the end. I think the energy and passion were there. The game plan we had in the second half almost worked. It's a real shame it didn't. So it's very bitter, but I still think we can't really blame ourselves too much in terms of energy or passion.”

Bremen will need to regroup quickly as they continue their fight for survival, with a huge Nordderby clash against Hamburger SV up next.