Kellermann praises Wolfsburg's winning desire

VfL Wolfsburg coach Ralf Kellermann felt his side's "absolute determination to reach another final" was a crucial factor as they beat 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam 4-2 to seal their place in the UEFA Women's Champions League showpiece against Tyresö FF in Lisbon on 22 May. Kellerman praised both teams for the quality of their football, as did opposite number Bernd Schröder, who argued that his side were blown off course by an early injury to Lisa Evans.

Ralf Kellermann, Wolfsburg coach
The team really deserved to win today and we were deserved winners over the two legs. The key to the game was that we could come back quickly twice after falling behind. We didn't let our heads drop, showed character and absolute determination to reach another final. We pushed ourselves before the game by watching videos from our match last season against Arsenal at the Arena. It showed what we are capable of. I am really pleased that we could cope with the pressure and this incredible crowd was at its best.

This was a great advertisement for women's football and you need two strong teams for that. Potsdam have played the same tactical system for years. It can be an advantage, but we spotted some weaknesses and if players provide pinpoint crosses like we did today it is difficult to defend a player like Alexandra Popp, who is strong in the air.

We had some concerns about Lena Goessling's shoulder, but we didn't want to take her off the field. We were able to fix it at half-time, so the pain was bearable and she did a great job for us today. We might be slight favourites in the final, but Swedish women's football is strong and Tyresö have many quality players. It will be an exciting final.

Alexandra Popp, Wolfsburg forward
To fall behind twice and to come back like that was just crazy. It shows the character of the entire team. We knew that we could do it and I didn't mind if I scored the goals or someone else did. It was just important to help the team. To fall behind early on was like a horror movie; we conceded a stupid goal but dominated the game and came back. Then we conceded an even more stupid goal. I have no idea what the problem was between Almuth [Schult] and Josie [Josephine Henning]. Then we got another equaliser seconds later and that was important, especially for Almuth, and it showed that we're a team.

The atmosphere in the Arena was great; we had a lot of fun and we are looking forward to Lisbon now and it feels even better that we were successful against Potsdam. To play another final is a highlight. It's why we play and that's why people watch football. And it will be even better if we can win it again.

Lena Goessling, Wolfsburg midfielder
Of course we are happy that we reached another final. I hope my shoulder injury is not that serious. I don't know yet, but I already had problems in this shoulder five or six years ago. It was a great game and exciting for the fans that we could come back twice so quickly, as otherwise it would have been very difficult. I am happy that we managed to reach the final again with this team, as it is more difficult to repeat success. The fans were like a 12th player behind us, but we didn't plan to concede any goals. The fans pushed us and we never stopped believing in ourselves.

Bernd Schröder, Potsdam coach
Compliments to Wolfsburg, they deserved to win. It was a fast, high-intensity game between two top European teams. For us the key was Lisa Evans' injury as it disrupted our game. We couldn't put pressure on the flanks any more and our fine-tuning didn't work – we couldn't compensate for that loss. But it also showed the class of players like Popp, [Nadine] Kessler and [Martina] Müller. It is not easy to score goals like Popp did. In the second half, we didn't manage to create chances. Both teams were a bit down in the second half and we were no longer playing efficiently. Wolfsburg were the cleverer side over the two legs and injuries like the ones to Evans and [Stefanie] Draws can happen.

Julia Simic, Potsdam midfielder
We had a good start into the game and then Wolfsburg punished us twice. We started so well and finished so badly. Maybe we scored too early. We won all the tackles in the early stages and we felt good. Wolfsburg converted their chances efficiently and then it was difficult. We might have been a bit too naive to profit from our away goal. We wanted to keep calm in the second half, as there was still enough time to come back. We didn't give up defending. We knew from the Lyon game that we can also score late in the game, but when Wolfsburg made it 4-2 the game was over and our motivation was gone.

Tabea Kemme, Potsdam defender
It is difficult to say right now what went wrong. After taking the lead twice, we shouldn't have given the game away. It was difficult and annoying that we lost a speedy player like Lisa Evans that early. We will now give everything in the Bundesliga to win the championship; that will be our main goal now.