“We didn’t deserve to lose 3-0”

Marko Grujic, Ondrej Duda, Karim Rekik and Salomon Kalou put the loss to Wolfsburg into perspective.

Berlin – It didn’t go to plan for the Herthaner in their first game of the season. Despite being the better team Hertha BSC were defeated by VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday 3-0. "We had some opportunities especially in the first half, but unfortunately we didn’t score," said Marko Grujic after the match against Wolfsburg.

Marko Grujic: Unfortunately we didn’t get the penalty Wolfsburg got. These decisions naturally influenced the game. Nevertheless, we kept our heads up and played good football. We had some opportunities especially in the first half, but unfortunately we didn’t score. After the break, we still had more possession, but could have defended better. A 3-0 defeat is harsh in my view considering how we played, but that's football. We will get our chances next week against Schalke, we have to use them then.

Ondrej Duda: We started well in the first half, but the first goal killed us and we didn’t manage to come back after that. It's a pity, because we really didn’t play badly. It’s really annoying for us to have lost this game 3-0. I can’t say for sure if we should have had a penalty but I get the feeling we should have – I’ll have to check the replay.

Karim Rekik: We got off to a good start and had the game under control for the first 35 minutes. We drove the ball forward, but then got caught on the counter too often in the second half. I can’t say for definite that their penalty was a clear foul, I’ll have to watch it over again. We will analyze our mistakes and go to Gelsenkirchen with the mindset that we need to bring home three points.

Salomon Kalou: Karim clearly fouled the Wolfsburg player for their penalty, I didn't see the situation properly on the other side. I think plenty can be discussed about these decisions. The game would definitely have gone differently had we scored the first goal. Wolfsburg took the lead instead and then controlled the game thereafter - they scored goals at exactly the right times.

Dodi Lukébakio: Obviously we wanted to win our first home game, but unfortunately we couldn't manage that. We tried a lot of things and made several chances but it just wouldn't go in for us. Now we have to stay positive as there are so many more games to come. We have to analyse what went wrong and make sure we do it right next time. It was special to play in the Olympiastadion for the first time. The fans supported us well and help drive us forwards, so it's a shame we lost and that we couldn't repay their efforts.

Maximillian Mittelstädt: We shouldn't have gone behind the way we did. The game would have taken a different course if we'd been given that penalty early on and then taken the lead. Wolfsburg never reached their best today - we pressed them well and made chances early on that we couldn't take. I don't think the final score reflected the game. We pushed everyone forwards to try and find an equaliser and they subsequently used the space and hit us on the break. We have to learn from today and not allow that to happen in the future.