FRANCE 98 – MatchQuotes

Match Number 53 GER – MEX Quotes

Berti VOGTS :

“I’d like to congratulate my team because it wasn’t easy but my players knew how to fight back. Jürgen KOHLER’s (4) play wasn’t up to the standard of the rest of the defence. I myself have played and trained in MEXICO. I must congratulate them, because I’ve never seen them play as well as they did today.

Jorge CAMPOS (1) is a great goalkeeper, I don’t think he could have stopped our two goals.

We’ll have to wait to see whether our future opponents will be ROMANIA or CROATIA–but they’re both good teams.

I don’t want to go through this kind of situation again.”

Manuel LAPUENTE:

“We’ve been on an emotional roller coaster–this defeat is not easy to digest, but I’m proud of my players. They did their best right from the start. It’s not easy to analyse this match, we’ll do so at a later date. We fought up to the very end and there were times when we really thought we could win and that we would score that second goal.

I congratulated my players on their magnificent game. We’re leaving this World Cup with our heads’ high. We were very ambitious coming here, but GERMANY pulled the rug out from under us. It’s not that we stopped playing well, we kept trying to score, but the German attack prevented us from developing our game.

I’d like to thank all of the press and especially the foreign press, whose behaviour was excellent, and I promise you that from now on, MEXICO will be a much stronger team.”

Jorge CAMPOS (1):

“Obviously it’s a disappointment, but we’re already very proud of getting past the first round. Although we weren’t among the favourites at the start of the competition, from now on the MEXICO team will have a new image. We’ve shown that we can play to a high standard, and if we lost to GERMANY it was because of our lack of experience.

This World Cup will remain a great step forward for MEXICO.

As for the other goalkeepers, they were all excellent–the only differences were in style.”

Francisco PALENCIA (17):

“We were in good physical shape and our concentration was equally good, until a minor defensive error lost us our advantage. Our football is still worthy of the best European teams, which we had already proved against HOLLAND (match n°42). This World Cup may be a new beginning for Mexican football.”

Luis HERNANDEZ (15):

“We were able to dream of a quarter final qualification for a while, but the German goals brought us back to earth. I missed a goal that would have put us up 2-0, but even great players can miss sometimes. Unfortunately, the Germans were able to score twice.

I don’t know if I want to come and play for a club in Europe yet. It might not be the right time.”

Pavel PARDO (13):

“We did all we could. We had chances but we just couldn’t make the most of them. When we were ahead, we weren’t able to hold off the German attack to keep the lead. All the same, after such an intense game, it’s rather difficult to see things clearly and to properly analyse our weak points. We’re still proud of our showing even if our aim was to reach the quarter finals.”

Jürgen KLINSMANN, captain (18) :

 “We put them under pressure in the first half, that was obvious from the header that hit the post. The Mexican goal was like a cold shower to us. But we were never worried about getting back into the game, because we have an instinctive fighting spirit.

I was always optimistic. We had an enormous drive to win. We picked up the pace and penned the Mexicans in their own half. My goal liberated us.

Everyone has their own idea about how to play football, but we play our own style of football using our strength and our attitude.

If we keep playing this way we’ll be unbeatable.”

Ulf KIRSTEN (9):

“Although I didn’t score in this match, making a decisive pass is just as satisfying as scoring a goal–even though I’ve never been in the starting line-up. It’s the second time running that I’ve made this kind of pass from which Oliver BIERHOFF (20) had a scoring header. I hope it’ll happen again.

Our next opponents in the quarter finals, ROMANIA or CROATIA, don’t worry me. It’s a match like any other. It’s the other teams that should be wary of us, given that we show great strength of character in coming back from behind.”

Dietmar HAMANN (16):

“We were able to hold on to the ball much longer than the Mexicans.

When Andy MOLLER (7) came on in the second half, I had to move to the centre which is not my usual position, but I thought I did rather well. We had several scary moments, and I was afraid we’d be going straight home. Luckily, our two forwards (BIERHOFF (20) and KLINSMANN (18)) came through once more.”

 Oliver BIERHOFF (20):

“I’d like to thank Ulf KIRSTEN (9) for his cross which enabled me to score. He’s the best scorer in the Bundesliga (German League). The turning point of the match was when the Mexicans missed that chance to score. We know how to put our opponents under pressure when we’re trailing. I think this has been our best match since the start of the World Cup, but we can do even better.”