FC St. Pauli

Head coach Jos Luhukay: "The first game after the break ended positively, albeit with some good fortune for us. We were up against an excellent Nürnberg side who caused us problems. They defended very well and switched from defence to attack effectively. After the red card it remained an exciting and evenly balanced affair. We had the game under control but had to be patient. The winner eventually came from a fine piece of individual play from Viktor. It was a very tough game for us against a team with lots of quality. I have to say we were lucky in the end. I'm delighted for my team."

Nürnberg coach Jens Keller: "The last eight or nine weeks have been tough for all of us. No one knew where they stood and how fit the team was, but I was very impressed by my team today. We were superb for the first 45 minutes – the only thing we didn't do was convert the chances into goals. We played with lots of elan, were aggressive and won lots of balls with our gegenpressing. All that was missing were the goals. The red card came on the break after we'd given the ball away too easily in midfield. We still did well a man short and gave little away. It would have been a perfect day if we'd won, but it's our own fault for not taking any of the chances we had."

Daniel Buballa: "We had to get used to the situation first. It was a new atmosphere for all of us. From the outset we tried to do the things we were doing before the break, but Nürnberg did well and were a touch better than us in the first half. The red card made things easier for us, of course, though I still have to pay compliments to the team for seeing the game out with aplomb and holding their nerve."

Robin Himmelmann: "We were too far apart in the first half and lost a lot of balls. The red card played into our hands. Nürnberg didn't have any chances after that. We won the game in the end but were second best for long periods."

Marvin Knoll: "We had problems closing down the spaces in the first half. We made some tactical changes and were more on it then. We got the game under control after the red card but the final pass was lacking. Thankfully, Viktor gave us all three points with some good individual play. Darmstadt will be a different game, but we want to keep going and carry on picking up points."

Viktor Gyökeres: "Nürnberg had some good chances in the first half but we worked hard and they didn't score. We got more and more into the game in the second half after the red card. I received the ball from Waldi, cut inside and stuck it in the far corner. I'm happy to have helped the team to three points with my goal."

Photo: Witters