FC St. Pauli

Head coach Fabian Hürzeler: “We started very well, were brave and had control of the game. We carried a threat in the Hertha box and took a deserved lead, which we defended rigorously, giving little away at the back. We then missed chances to get a second, especially early in the second half, and eventually made an unnecessary mistake in our build-up. That said, we want to be bold playing out from the back and mistakes are a part of that. We responded well, though. We kept calm, carried on playing football and deserved the win in the end. I’d like to wish Hertha all the best for the first half of the season.”

Eric Smith: “I think that was one of the best away performances this year. We were very dominant. We knew there’d be some tough battles in the second half, but I’m proud of the lads and the way we played today, it was unbelievable. We created good chances and scoring twice away should normally be enough if you stay solid at the back. The referee told me after the game that he couldn’t tell whether the defender kicked me hard enough or not. It was a weird situation. I just felt the kick, but these things happen. It’s nice to be top of the table and it shows we’re doing some things right, but it doesn’t mean anything at the moment. We have to repeat this performance in the next few games.”

Marcel Hartel: “It was a super performance – both in attack and in defence. We took a deserved two-goal lead and could have led by more. We shouldn’t concede the way we did but we stood strong and defended really well. We’re on good form and confident. It’s going great at the moment but there are things we can do better. Thanks to the fans for the magnificent support. I think they can back to Hamburg feeling happy tonight.”

Johannes Eggestein: “I’m delighted with the goal. I realised I hadn’t got the ball exactly in the corner and I followed up, which I think shows how much I wanted the goal. I speculated on the rebound and was right. The lads have integrated me well, we have a good standard in training and those who come in perform accordingly, like Carlo did last week, for example. I feel I’m getting better with every game. Thanks to the fans for coming in such large numbers and giving us such great support. The atmosphere was fantastic, and it was a good pitch as well. We should have put the game to bed earlier, though. We shouldn’t have been left biting our nails at the end, but all in all we defended well and can be pleased with the performance.”

Pál Dárdai (Hertha BSC coach): “Congratulations to St. Pauli. They deserved to win. We weren’t in it and didn’t put our plan into action. We had a chance to advance in front of what was almost a full house. We were hamstrung tonight against a well-oiled side. We couldn’t cope with their pace. We knew they were good, but our body language was different in the second half and we could have landed a lucky punch in the closing stages. We didn’t show that desire throughout the 90 minutes, though, and we have to learn from situations like these. We have to show we’re at home and get into the tackles. We only did that towards the end.”

Potos: Witters