U19 European Champion Julian Brandt led the celebrations after Leverkusen's 2-0 home victory against FC Bayern München on Saturday. There were several things to celebrate for Brandt, apart from the victory against the record champions. Not only did the youngster score Leverkusen's second goal, he also turned 19 yesterday and helped his team climb into third place on matchday 31. Leverkusen are currently one point ahead of Gladbach, who face Hertha BSC later on Sunday (17:30 CEST).
Brandt spoke about his goal against FC Bayern and about Leverkusen's upcoming encounter with Borussia Mönchengladbach in an interview with DFB.de.
DFB.de: Julian Brandt, happy birthday and congratulations on scoring the goal and for winning the match – a perfect day for you?
Julian Brandt: Yes and I'm thrilled to be able to stand here again and speak with you (laughs). Today was a great day. The victory, the three points, my goal and my birthday – it doesn’t get much better than that. I think I’ll sleep well tonight.
DFB.de: In the DFB Cup quarter-final with FC Bayern you had a similar chance in extra time but you missed the target completely. Today you hit the target perfectly.
Brandt: Yes, it was a good strike. I made good connection with the ball and once it settled in the back of the net it felt like a huge relief. I think it was also an important goal in order to secure the victory. We are all obviously very happy.
DFB.de: What is this victory truly worth seeing as FC Bayern didn’t play their best team today?
Brandt: I don’t think any of us care about that. We achieved what wanted to achieve. We wanted to climb into third place and we accomplished that through the victory. The three points against FC Bayern are vital for us. We still have three games left to play and as long as we win in Gladbach, we should be able to finish in third place. It sounds very easy, but a lot of work goes into achieving it.
DFB.de: After the game the fans demanded you to lead the celebrations on the fence. Was it your first time?
Brandt: It was incredible. Our stadium announcer came up to me and said: "Come on, get up there." And away I went. I was a little scared of falling down at first, but it was a great experience nonetheless.
DFB.de: Is scoring a goal against World Champion Manuel Neuer perhaps the best birthday present ever?
Brandt: Yes, it was definitely a nice present. I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to top that today.
DFB.de: Ever since scoring against Hannover two weeks ago things have gone well for you personally. How important was that goal for you?
Brandt: Against Bayern in the cup things hadn’t clicked for me but they definitely have done now. The goal against Hannover was extremely important for me.
DFB.de: Your next game is against Gladbach, which will be extremely important in the battle for the automatic Champions League spot.
Brandt: Yes, a lot will be at stake in that game. We desperately want to win the match because it would improve our situation quite significantly. I'm not saying that our other games against Hoffenheim and Frankfurt will be walks in the park, but the game with Gladbach is certainly the most important of the three.
DFB.de: Will you be cheering for Hertha BSC on Sunday?
Brandt: I'm not even sure yet if I will be watching the game. If I don’t have anything better to do, I'll probably turn it on.
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U19 European Champion Julian Brandt led the celebrations after Leverkusen's 2-0 home victory against FC Bayern München on Saturday. There were several things to celebrate for Brandt, apart from the victory against the record champions. Not only did the youngster score Leverkusen's second goal, he also turned 19 yesterday and helped his team climb into third place on matchday 31. Leverkusen are currently one point ahead of Gladbach, who face Hertha BSC later on Sunday (17:30 CEST).
Brandt spoke about his goal against FC Bayern and about Leverkusen's upcoming encounter with Borussia Mönchengladbach in an interview with DFB.de.
DFB.de: Julian Brandt, happy birthday and congratulations on scoring the goal and for winning the match – a perfect day for you?
Julian Brandt: Yes and I'm thrilled to be able to stand here again and speak with you (laughs). Today was a great day. The victory, the three points, my goal and my birthday – it doesn’t get much better than that. I think I’ll sleep well tonight.
DFB.de: In the DFB Cup quarter-final with FC Bayern you had a similar chance in extra time but you missed the target completely. Today you hit the target perfectly.
Brandt: Yes, it was a good strike. I made good connection with the ball and once it settled in the back of the net it felt like a huge relief. I think it was also an important goal in order to secure the victory. We are all obviously very happy.
DFB.de: What is this victory truly worth seeing as FC Bayern didn’t play their best team today?
Brandt: I don’t think any of us care about that. We achieved what wanted to achieve. We wanted to climb into third place and we accomplished that through the victory. The three points against FC Bayern are vital for us. We still have three games left to play and as long as we win in Gladbach, we should be able to finish in third place. It sounds very easy, but a lot of work goes into achieving it.
DFB.de: After the game the fans demanded you to lead the celebrations on the fence. Was it your first time?
Brandt: It was incredible. Our stadium announcer came up to me and said: "Come on, get up there." And away I went. I was a little scared of falling down at first, but it was a great experience nonetheless.
DFB.de: Is scoring a goal against World Champion Manuel Neuer perhaps the best birthday present ever?
Brandt: Yes, it was definitely a nice present. I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to top that today.
DFB.de: Ever since scoring against Hannover two weeks ago things have gone well for you personally. How important was that goal for you?
Brandt: Against Bayern in the cup things hadn’t clicked for me but they definitely have done now. The goal against Hannover was extremely important for me.
DFB.de: Your next game is against Gladbach, which will be extremely important in the battle for the automatic Champions League spot.
Brandt: Yes, a lot will be at stake in that game. We desperately want to win the match because it would improve our situation quite significantly. I'm not saying that our other games against Hoffenheim and Frankfurt will be walks in the park, but the game with Gladbach is certainly the most important of the three.
DFB.de: Will you be cheering for Hertha BSC on Sunday?
Brandt: I'm not even sure yet if I will be watching the game. If I don’t have anything better to do, I'll probably turn it on.
