FC St. Pauli

Head coach Fabian Hürzeler: “We made a great start and got the opening goal after a superb move. After that we let things slip a bit. We didn’t have the same drive and made a lot of simple technical errors. I didn’t like that and it ended with the 1-1 when Nürnberg pressed us well. We want to find bold solutions, so I’m not going to blame Niko for that. The way you respond is decisive and he continued to play courageous football. That’s the key for me. In the second half we worked even more intensively off the ball and continued to play with courage, as when we got our third goal. We had lots of control and apart from the shot that hit the bar we gave nothing away. We had the right balance between defensive stability and attacking threat. I’m pleased the players who came on had an impact on the game and got on the scoresheet.”

Johannes Eggestein: “It was another step up today, both for the team and for me personally. We had a sticky patch in the first half after the first goal but came out fighting after the break and showed who was in charge right away. I simply stuck my foot out for my first goal. I wasn't really expecting the ball to come to me, but I was in the right place. We were motoring after that and combined really well.”

Jackson Irvine: “It’s going really well at the moment. I’m so proud of this team and every individual, especially Niko, who gave the ball away in the first half. We believe in what we’re doing and know we have the quality to play that way and we trust one another. I gave the ball away last week, but we support each other when mistakes are made. There are lots of reasons why it's going so well. We prepare very hard during the week and obviously have confidence, but we've worked hard for that. Everyone's giving their all.”

Hauke Wahl: “Nürnberg tried for long periods to exercise control up front. I don’t think they had any answers for the way we play football. We repeatedly escaped their high press. The equaliser was annoying and came somewhat out of the blue, but we were the better team again after that and invested a lot more. We would have deserved to go 2-1 up in the first half. At half-time we talked about becoming too passive after we got the first goal, so the aim after we made it 2-1 was not to stop playing football but rather to go for a third and a fourth goal. We had Nürnberg under control after the interval even though there were two or three situations where we lacked concentration. The last five minutes felt a bit like being on a high.”

Etienne Amenyido: “It’s been a while since I scored so I’m delighted. It feels good to be back on the pitch. It’s just a great feeling to be with the team and experience the emotions with the fans. I’m still relatively young and I know what my body can give me. It’s a good step back. We’re defending well and have so much quality up front that anyone can score. We have to keep going, though, it’s just one win of many.”

Photos: Witters