Mainz post-match reaction - Joshua Kimmich: 'Win was never in doubt'

FC Bayern picked up an important away win on Saturday afternoon, beating 1. FSV Mainz 05 2-1 to ensure that they’ll go into the international break as Bundesliga leaders. “For the neutral it certainly wasn’t a dazzling display, but still very confident. We didn’t give them much of a chance,” summarised Joshua Kimmich. “We stood up to that well and deserved to win. There’s nothing better than going into the international break as league leaders. This win feels even better than a normal win – when we’re back, we’ll continue on the attack,” said Aleksandar Pavlović. fcbayern.com has compiled the rest of the post-match reaction for you.

Reaction to match at Mainz 05

Aaron Danks: “We’re pleased that we won. We’re a little disappointed to have conceded the goal at the end, but we know it’s always a tough game here at Mainz. We had to suffer at times, but we were well prepared and stood our ground well, so we’re very happy to come away with a hard-fought away win.”

Joshua Kimmich: “I’d certainly call it a hard-earned victory. For the neutral it certainly wasn’t a dazzling display, but still very confident. We didn’t give them much of a chance – obviously there was the disallowed goal, which caused some discussion. For us, it was important not to let it get to 1-1 before the break. We were actually pretty comfortable in the second half, and the second goal settled the game. Yes, Mainz pulled one back late on, but the win was never in doubt. What’s grown over the last two, three years is very special. There’s great calmness at the club. You have the feeling that everything fits. We have to play successful football, that’s the basis. But we’ve seen in the last few weeks that we stick together.”

Aleksandar Pavlović: “Mainz do the dirty things, they always go for the second balls, they’re committed in the tackles – that doesn’t make it easy. We stood up to that well and deserved to win. I’m pleased for Lenny (Karl) that he scored, he did well. There’s nothing better than going into the international break as league leaders. This win feels even better than a normal win – when we’re back, we’ll continue on the attack.”

Reaction from the other side

Urs Fischer (coach, Mainz 05): “Over the course of the 90 minutes, it was a deserved win for Bayern Muninch. I saw from my team what I wanted to see – it was a step in the right direction, even if the result obviously isn’t what we want. The team showed me today what’s possible. When we bring our DNA onto the pitch, it’s not so easy to beat us.”

Nadiem Amiri (Mainz 05): “We put in a very good performance, gave a lot and did the basics that make us strong. They were clinical with the few chances they had. An equaliser before the break would’ve been good momentum, but you need a perfect day against Bayern. Nevertheless, it was a step in the right direction.”

Phillip Tietz (Mainz 05): “The disallowed equaliser is the key moment of the match. The fact that it didn’t count turned everything around again. It would’ve been awesome to go into the break like that. Nevertheless, we came back out well, my goal should’ve come sooner. That woke the fans up and they really got behind us. We showed a different side to ourselves than of late. Obviously I always want to start, but we were playing well anyway. Would it have turned out better with me? We’ll never know. It’s also very hard against Bayern, the boys did a great job.”

The match report: