“That’s what you want from European football”: Reaction after Mainz’s victory in Nicosia
| Sporting director of Mainz Niko Bungert gives interview before Bundesliga match vs RB Leipzig | Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images |
Mainz opened their Conference League campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Omonia Nicosia, escaping a raucous atmosphere with all three points thanks to Nadiem Amiri’s decisive penalty.
Sporting director Niko Bungert admitted the performance wasn’t flawless but highlighted the importance of the result:
“That’s what you want from European football. It was a heated atmosphere, and you could tell today was something special. The team’s performance certainly had room for improvement, but we managed to pull it off. In the second half, we got into the box more often and created dangerous opportunities. In the end, it still took a penalty to score. You could feel the relief even on the bench - everyone was standing and cheering for the last ten minutes. That says a lot about how important it was for us to win.”
Match-winner Amiri echoed that sense of relief while praising his side’s resilience:
“We’re still lacking that final punch. But we still played very dominant, conceding almost nothing. In the second half, we improved again and played even better. I always had the feeling we would score and was certain we’d go home with the win. I thanked the fans for their support. It’s not a given that so many people come here on a Thursday evening and create such a great atmosphere.”
Mainz now turn their attention back to Bundesliga duties, with a trip to Hamburg awaiting them on Sunday.
