BURGSTALLER: "CONCEDING THE THIRD SO SOON AFTER HALF-TIME DID FOR US"
Friday, 07. May 2021, 23:03 Uhr
Despite making a good start to the game, the Schultz XI eventually slumped to a 4-0 defeat at the hands of promotion-chasing Holstein Kiel. After the final whistle, the Boys in Brown had to admit it had been an excellent showing from the home side, who were well worth their win in the end.
Head coach Timo Schultz: "I can't fault my team at all for the first half. We played really well in the first 20 minutes. We were constantly in their box and had lots of control, even when we lost possession. Unfortunately, we were unable to fashion any clear-cut opportunities and take them. The first decent attack from Kiel saw us go behind, though we recovered well to be fair. At half-time I was confident we could turn it round, but the third goal totally did for us. Kiel showed us how to play effective football. In the end they deserved to win because we struggled to find a way through in the second half. I no longer had the feeling we could get back into it."
Philipp Ziereis: "We definitely came looking for more today and wanted to go for the win. It's obviously very disappointing to end up losing 4-0. We were well in the game to be honest, but Kiel were clinical and went two up. We tried to turn it round, but the third goal stopped us in our tracks. That the shot went in was typical of our evening. It left us chasing the game. Kiel had the upper hand then and deserved to win in the end. Kiel were better, created their chances well and took them with clinical efficiency. Going by today's performance, they have a great chance of going up. We have two games left and definitely want to win both. We've shown often enough this season that we can come back well from a defeat. A game like this won't knock us off course."
Guido Burgstaller: "We played some good football in the first half and had lots of opportunities in their box, but Kiel showed us how it's done. We were their equals, but they scored twice. Conceding the third so soon after half-time did for us. Kiel showed they're a top team then and you saw the difference between them and us. We kept trying but Kiel gained in confidence and moved the ball around nicely. Kiel have lots of quality, as we saw today. What we take from the game is that we still have some way to go and need to keep working hard. It hurts to lose again, of course, especially by as much as that, but I'd rather lose 4-0 once than 1-0 three or four times."
Ole Werner (Holstein Kiel head coach): "The first half was evenly balanced overall. We had a lot of hairy situations in the opening stages where we managed to get a foot in the way in the box or the final ball came to St. Pauli and we had an opportunity to clear. We were highly effective after that, though. We wasted a couple of chances to make it 3-0 on the break before half-time. In the second half, we controlled things well and when we scored the third it was all over to all intents and purposes. It was an excellent performance by my team today, with some good aggression pressing the ball and good efficiency in front of goal. We now look ahead to the next game on Monday."
Fin Bartels (Holstein Kiel): "It's always a lot of fun against St. Pauli because of all the positive memories. They've been superb in the second part of the season and it was an open game in the first half. We knew there would be phases when we have to drop back occasionally because St. Pauli are such a good footballing team. We got the goals at the right time today and turned things in our favour. Today's win was important for our promotion charge. It's going to be tough enough but if we keep playing like this, we can keep racking up the points. We have some tough games ahead of us and can't afford to let up for one second. We have to give it everything we have."
Photos: Witters