FC St. Pauli

Head coach Fabian Hürzeler: "We didn't start well and fell behind straightaway from a corner, but after that it was a good performance from us away from home. We were very dominant, got a deserved equaliser and had the game under control. We continued to press after the interval but failed to get our reward and Karlsruhe restored their lead following a mistake in the build-up. We were still in the game after that, but the red card slowed our momentum and we were unable to compensate. We failed to get the momentum on our side in the decisive moments, it has to be said. We have to analyse the game and do better next week. Congratulations to KSC."

Jackson Irvine: "We played the way we wanted to in the first ten minutes of the second half. We created a lot of chances and should have led by at least one or two. We had the game completely under control but conceded far too easily when we lost the ball in a central position. It always comes down to details when games are as tight as this was. We have to work on that and do better. I don't know if all the big calls were right today. We're obviously disappointed but we played some good stuff, so we'll keep calm and it's still in our own hands."

Hauke Wahl: "I'm gutted. I committed two fouls, or more like one and a half, and got sent off. That's all I want to say. You always have to question yourself and I know it wasn't the best performance of my career today. I hurt the team and I take full responsibility for that. I shouldn't let that happen. I should have kept away and shown more intelligence in the second challenge."

Manolis Saliakas: "I think the penalty could have been given in my situation but that's football. We had lots of chances in the second half and should have taken them, of course. We gave our all even though we lost and I'm proud of my teammates."

Christian Eichner (KSC head coach): "Congratulations to Karlsruhe on staying up. You have to say that at this point without laughing because you have to respect this league, which is getting tighter and tighter. It was the game we were expecting today. In games like these you need intensity and good fortune and luck with the decisions to keep such a great team as St. Pauli in check and drag the game your way. We started well and took the lead from a set play before St. Pauli took control. There's not a lot you can do off the ball because St. Pauli have a really good plan coupled with individual quality and power. The half-time score was OK for us. We were on the ropes for the first 20 minutes after the break, which was down to the quality of the opposition and the fact that we stopped making the tackles and lost lots of 50-50 duels. We suffered and were lucky that St. Pauli didn't take the lead. It would have been tough to come back from that. Then we took the lead, which we defended with passion. In the end we had the luck you need with the decisions. All in all, we were a bit lucky to win."

Photos: Witters