Kovac: A deserved win and the right margin of victory

Three days after the DFB Cup extra-time victory away to Hertha Berlin, FC Bayern beat Schalke 3-1 on Saturday evening. Niko Kovac spoke of a "deserved win and the right margin of victory." After the exhausting midweek match Bayern made the most of their situation, cutting the gap to Borussia Dortmund, who drew 3-3 against Hoffenheim, to five points. "We do our best and try to catch up with Dortmund, match after match," declared Serge Gnabry.

Reaction to Bayern v Schalke

Niko Kovac: "We did a really good job in the first half and temporarily in the second. But the 120-minute cup match was noticeable, in Dortmund too. You mustn't allow that when you're three up after 75 minutes. That was a warning, but I think it was a deserved win and the right margin of victory."

Leon Goretzka: "We pressed hard very early, we got off to a very good start and capitalised on Schalke's mistakes in the first half very well. We allowed our opponents too many chances once again. But I think at the end of the day you can call it a clear-cut victory."

Serge Gnabry: "It was a superb week for me personally and for FC Bayern too ultimately. It was crucial to advance in the cup and to take three points today, it boosts our confidence. We knew what was at stake because we played later and knew Dortmund's result. We must win every match, regardless of Dortmund's results, to keep our chances alive. So we do our best and try to catch up with them, match after match."

Domenico Tedesco (FC Schalke coach): "Taken altogether it was a deserved defeat. I think we failed to close down the flanks, especially at the beginning. We were a bit too passive. We tried to put up a fight after half-time but conceded the third in the middle of our best spell. Unfortunately we were too timid. If you want to take something away from Munich you have to defend by going on the attack, we failed to do that."

Bastian Oczipka (FC Schalke): "We came close, we had a few chances, especially to level the scores again in the second half. But we absolutely mustn't concede the goals, we made it too easy for them. I can't explain it at the moment. Especially after the equaliser, when we were back in the game, we made a fatal error and conceded another goal. We have to blame ourselves for that."