Leonardo Bittencourt's 22nd Birthday party was attended by 50,000 guests on Saturday, as 1. FC Köln managed a 2-1 home victory against former club Borussia Dortmund. The Birthday boy was brought on in the second half and noticeably animated Köln's attacking game.
DFB.de spoke with the 20-time Germany U21 international on Köln's energetic performance, his thoughts before he was introduced into the game and celebrating with the fans afterwards.
Question: How do you feel after this game?
Leonardo Bittencourt: I don't know if I could feel any better. To turn a one-goal deficit into a 2-1 victory in front of these fans is just amazing. It's the best way to go into the winter break.
Question: Was your performance in the second half the best performance you've shown all season?
Bittencourt: We had many good games this season. We went all-in today in the second half. We looked to enter challenges early and played man-marking basically on the entire pitch. The guys were really exhausted after the final whistle, because they covered so much ground. But we also rewarded ourselves for this performance. I'm really happy for Tony (Anthony Modeste), who finally ended his drought.
Question: Köln had already won against Leverkusen and Mönchengladbach this season and have now beaten Dortmund…
Bittencourt: We beat everyone out here in the west. We are the number one (laughs). To be honest: We are obviously really happy about the win but now how to asses this victory. We have 24 points now and can be satisfied as we go into the winter break.
Question: Was the game with Dortmund special for you?
Bittencourt: Technically, it's a game like any other. I've played against Dortmund the past years already and last season I won against them with Hannover already. It was just a great win for us today. We've beaten the second best team in Germany only behind FC Bayern. There isn't much that can top that.
Question: What are your goals for 2016? The Olympic Games are taking place in Rio...
Bittencourt: I don't try to think that far ahead to be honest. We recorded a good win today and hopefully we can return strongly against Stuttgart in the new year.
Question: How did you experience the atmosphere in the stadium today?
Bittencourt: The support carried us throughout this game. The fans applauded every single challenge and gave us a real push.
Question: What was the celebration like with the fans afterwards?
Bittencourt: It was simply outstanding.
[mmc/fr]
Leonardo Bittencourt's 22nd Birthday party was attended by 50,000 guests on Saturday, as 1. FC Köln managed a 2-1 home victory against former club Borussia Dortmund. The Birthday boy was brought on in the second half and noticeably animated Köln's attacking game.
DFB.de spoke with the 20-time Germany U21 international on Köln's energetic performance, his thoughts before he was introduced into the game and celebrating with the fans afterwards.
Question: How do you feel after this game?
Leonardo Bittencourt: I don't know if I could feel any better. To turn a one-goal deficit into a 2-1 victory in front of these fans is just amazing. It's the best way to go into the winter break.
Question: Was your performance in the second half the best performance you've shown all season?
Bittencourt: We had many good games this season. We went all-in today in the second half. We looked to enter challenges early and played man-marking basically on the entire pitch. The guys were really exhausted after the final whistle, because they covered so much ground. But we also rewarded ourselves for this performance. I'm really happy for Tony (Anthony Modeste), who finally ended his drought.
Question: Köln had already won against Leverkusen and Mönchengladbach this season and have now beaten Dortmund…
Bittencourt: We beat everyone out here in the west. We are the number one (laughs). To be honest: We are obviously really happy about the win but now how to asses this victory. We have 24 points now and can be satisfied as we go into the winter break.
Question: Was the game with Dortmund special for you?
Bittencourt: Technically, it's a game like any other. I've played against Dortmund the past years already and last season I won against them with Hannover already. It was just a great win for us today. We've beaten the second best team in Germany only behind FC Bayern. There isn't much that can top that.
Question: What are your goals for 2016? The Olympic Games are taking place in Rio...
Bittencourt: I don't try to think that far ahead to be honest. We recorded a good win today and hopefully we can return strongly against Stuttgart in the new year.
Question: How did you experience the atmosphere in the stadium today?
Bittencourt: The support carried us throughout this game. The fans applauded every single challenge and gave us a real push.
Question: What was the celebration like with the fans afterwards?
Bittencourt: It was simply outstanding.
