HÜRZELER: "WE HAD TO BE PATIENT"
Tuesday, 05. December 2023, 23:38 Uhr
The relief was tangible after the 4-1 victory at FC Homburg in the DFB Cup Round of 16. As usual, here's the pick of the post-match reaction from the mixed zone.
Head coach Fabian Hürzeler: "We had to be patient. Homburg were very deep and very compact. We were unable to transition quickly and that allowed them to shift as unit, which they did well. The opening goal ought to have played into our hands but we conceded an unfortunate equaliser. I felt we did better after that, with more control of the game and more chances created. We managed to get more players into the box and that led to the second goal. We're taking each game as it comes and Osnabrück await on Saturday."
Sascha Burchert: "I haven't seen the goal on TV yet, I need to watch it back myself. It was down to the pitch a bit, of course, and maybe my touch as well. In the first half we often opted for the safe pass in attack but couldn't find a way through. We changed that after the interval and showed more power and deserved to win. Manolis and Elias added fresh impetus."
Marcel Hartel: "It wasn't a good game in the first half when you look at it. We weren't dynamic, we didn't play quickly, and we didn't make any runs in behind. It wasn't working in the first half. We put those things into practice in the second half and it worked very well. It wasn't perfect, but much better in the second half and we can be satisfied with that."
Elias Saad: "The goal and the assist gave me confidence and that was important at that stage of the game because Homburg were playing well and I'm very happy we made it through. The tactic was to play more down the flanks, and we did that well, especially in the second half. I hope we can go much further, and we'll see just how far."
Danny Schwarz (FC Homburg coach): "We go out of the competition with our heads held high. We made things tough for St. Pauli for long periods and could well have come away with more in the first half. The lads put in a class cup performance, but we made a few mistakes, especially in the second half. Some players then had muscle problems; our aim was to keep going as long as possible. We'll regroup for the last league game and want to get a positive result."
Photos: Witters
