Arminia Bielefeld suffered defeat at Schalke. Coach Mitch Kniat was frustrated.

Before the game, Mitch Kniat was still enthusiastic about the away game at Schalke. The Arminia Bielefeld coach spoke of a highlight. 62,000 spectators, Champions League games have been played here, a spine-tingling atmosphere.

After the game, he was asked how it was. “Absolutely shit,” he replied on Sky. “We lost, I can’t enjoy the atmosphere or the stadium. We lost, and that’s why it’s a wasted day for me.”

The frustration ran deep. After all, Arminia Bielefeld was close to a draw, but in the end still came away empty-handed (0-1).

“Unfortunately, history is repeating itself,” said Kniat, referring to the last few weeks, and explained: “We had two or three chances to score, but we didn’t take them. If you don’t take them against the top teams, you run the risk of conceding one. The goal is a gift, then you’re chasing the game. I can’t fault the team’s attitude, but we just have to score a goal.”

Schalke’s goal came after just 15 minutes. Edin Dzeko was once again in the right place at the right time and scored from a set piece. The veteran star was the difference on the night.

“That’s quality. When you have a chance that you have to take – and he takes them all the time – then that’s top quality. That’s what I’ve been missing from us in recent weeks,” admitted Kniat.

His team is still two points ahead of the relegation zone, but the competition can catch up over the weekend. “Now we’ve played on Friday and haven’t picked up any points, so we have to see what the others do,” said the 40-year-old, adding: “Nevertheless, I stand by my statement: we have to focus on ourselves, pick up our points and achieve our goal. We can’t think about the table, we have to deliver, deliver, deliver.”