Leverkusen 4-4 Roma 'not a normal game'

• "It was everything but a normal football game," says Roger Schmidt after 4-4 draw
• Leverkusen coach delighted with two late goals to deny Roma victory
• Roma's Rudi Garcia "not disappointed" but bemoans "wrong choices"

Roger Schmidt, Leverkusen coach
It was everything but a normal football game. That's why coaches, players and spectators come to the stadium. In the end, we even had the big chance to make it 5-4. That would have been craziness. The last seven minutes could be decisive for us going through.

We started well, took a 2-0 lead and were in a great position to use this lead to win. Unfortunately we then became very passive and at the same time Roma showed their quality. We dropped deep into our own half, allowed them set pieces and they came back through two of those.

We then started well again after the break, but went behind after another set piece. It was remarkable that we never gave up, even when it was 4-2. It was great that the team continued to attack. That they managed to draw shows the quality we have and the great morale. If we get at least a point in Rome, we still have very good chances of making the round of 16.

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Rudi Garcia, Roma coach
No, I am not disappointed. The positives outweigh the negatives – we were 2-0 down and some teams would have sunk completely. We attacked, we came back convincingly and made it 4-2. Then it is of course annoying to give away the win. In the closing stages we maybe allowed them too much possession and dropped too deep. But when you are 2-0 down and in the end draw, that's OK. But there are mixed feelings when you are up 4-2 and finish 4-4.

Conceding so many goals, that's a team problem. As we start our attacks with our goalkepper, we start defending up front. We must work on not being pushed back so deep once we lead. Their third goal was brilliant, but we have to put pressure on [Kevin Kampl] a lot earlier.

If we defend ten metres further up the pitch, those goals will not happen. The team really wanted to hold onto that 4-2, but then they made too many wrong choices.

I brought on Edin Džeko, because he is a player who can hold up the ball and can win headers at set pieces. It is good to have him back for the next weeks. In the Champions League as well as Serie A, we are shipping a lot of goals but also scoring a lot. We will work on this as a team. This spell we're going through will end at some point.