FC St. Pauli

Head coach Fabian Hürzeler: “We were very dominant in the first half, but Regensburg were excellent. They defended well and we struggled to find answers to their intensive man-marking. We made too many individual errors. Looking at the game as a whole, I have to praise my team for their mentality and the way they got stuck in. A draw would have been a fair result, but the lads worked very hard for their luck. It isn’t easy when you come out of an international break. Some of the lads only came back on Thursday. I’m satisfied with the result and the attitude but not with the performance. Regensburg will stay up if they keep playing like this.”

Oladapo Afolayan: “Cello took the free-kick and the ball flew up and I went after it. I don’t know who got the final touch. I was in there trying to get the goal, but I don’t know who scored it in the end. We were a bit lucky today, but it’s a sign of a good team when you win games like these. It wasn’t our best game today, it was very intensive, but in the end it’s the three points that count.”

Nikola Vasilj: “I was lucky my misplaced pass didn’t result in a goal. I wanted to knock it out quickly to the right, but an opponent was already there. It wasn’t a good ball but I was in a good position to make the save. We weren’t good on the ball today and very slow going forward. We had no solutions and were lucky to win. We’ll have to do better in our next game and play faster again, but the most important thing is that we got the three points today. We have to be critical, of course, especially after games like today, but all in all we’re happy to have won.”

Eric Smith: “We had some problems today. It was tough in the first half. The second was better, even though we lost the ball in dangerous positions sometimes. We always want to improve, but today you have to praise Regensburg, who pressed us very high up the field. It wasn’t easy for me in my position. They did well overall, so we’re pleased with the win. Keeping a clean sheet is always the highest priority for us. It was very intense, but the most important thing is that we won in the end. I’m on four yellow cards. I obviously know that, but in my position I have to go into the tackles without thinking about when and whether I might get a fifth.”

Jackson Irvine: "Regensburg are a good team and showed that today. We knew what we were up against and that they'd come up fighting due to the situation they're in. We, on the other hand, struggled to get going, but we got the goal and could have had a second when Lukas Daschner blocked my shot on the line. It might have been a bit easier then, but when you’re on a run like we we are, you win games like these. Luck obviously plays a part sometimes, but you can earn it through effort and desire. Nine wins in a row is simply incredible. Sometimes you have just one of these runs in your career. It’s usually only the top European teams who have them. We definitely want to make it double figures, but we'll have to do much better in our next game because it could be the toughest we've had so far."

Marcel Hartel: “Wins like these are nice as well. We battled and showed fighting spirit. These games take some winning. Regensburg played well. They were solid and defended aggressively and were really dangerous at times as a result of our mistakes. They also closed down the space in the middle and we like attacking through the middle. We’ll have to analyse that, come up with a Plan B and cut out the mistakes when we go to Heidenheim next week, but we’ve won nine in a row now and we can take a lot from that. We’ll go to Heidenheim feeling confident and want to come back with the maximum return of three points.”

Lukas Daschner: "It was a tough game for us and we didn't play well. We're pleased to get the three points and I just think we're very solid at the moment. We're keeping clean sheets. You also have to praise Regensburg because they were superb. They kept things tight in the middle and made it hard for us. It wasn't easy to find an answer. They were well prepared and didn't allow themselves to be tempted out. We want to carry on winning and picking up points. Next week's game at Heidenheim is a cracker, but we can match anyone in this league, even though it's going to be extremely difficult to take three points there."

Mersad Selimbegović (Regensburg coach): “Congratulations to St. Pauli on an outstanding run. We fell behind to a slapstick goal. St. Pauli had slightly more of the play in the first half, though we had our moments on the break. We improved in the second half. We kept trying to put them under pressure and went in search of an equaliser. We lacked a bit of luck and momentum today. We had two or three clear-cut chances and if you don’t take them, you lose. We would have deserved a point, but that’s how it is. We have to draw a line under it. We played well today and tried everything and that gives us courage for the next few games.”

Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters