"NINE TIMES OUT OF TEN THE BALL GOES IN, TODAY IT DIDN'T"
Sunday, 28. October 2018, 18:14 Uhr
After five games without a defeat the Boys in Brown finally succumbed against Holstein Kiel. It could have been so very different, however, and so the overwhelming feeling afterwards was one of frustration.
Director of sport Uwe Stöver: "It was a derby contested with lots of passion by both teams that Kiel were a bit lucky to win. It was a decent performance by us with opportunities to turn it our way."
Christopher Avevor: "We got off to a super start and had our chances. Unfortunately, we didn't take them today. Kiel did well in the second half. We had good opportunities on the break but didn't make the most of them. It could have ended 3-3, so in the end the result is hard to take."
Philipp Ziereis: "You can't fault the team today. We combined well and created a number of chances, but the goal wouldn't come. We didn't have as much control in the second half and Kiel made good use of the space. Up front we lacked the bit of luck you need to get a result that we've had in recent weeks. When they scored I was very close to our goal and didn't want to risk putting it in my own net. It comes down to fractions of a second. We were very unlucky in that situation."
Robin Himmelmann: "That was unnecessary. We had some good opportunities but didn't have the luck we needed for the ball to end up in the Kiel goal. It's bitterly disappointing, of course, but we shouldn't forget that we were up against a good team. Obviously, that doesn't matter today, but you can see how far we've come on, which is pleasing. We'll collect ourselves again now and then go to Bielefeld to get the points back."
Marvin Knoll: "I can't fault the team today. We played some good football and I enjoyed it even though we lost. To be honest, though, we probably could have played for hours without scoring. We fought to the end and the goal was typical for a day like today. In recent weeks we've had more luck. Chin up, we go again next week."
Sami Allagui: "More was possible today, but the ball wouldn't go in. We had enough chances for two or three games. Football's like that sometimes. When I hit the bar, I speculated and then found myself in front of Kronholm. I could have gone past him but decided against it. Nine times out of ten the ball goes in, unfortunately today it didn't. I'm gutted. Kiel were lucky to win but we can't complain with the weeks we've had recently. We'll keep going exactly the way we are, though we have to score goals."
Richard Neudecker: "It was an entertaining second-division game with lots of chances at both ends. We were the better team but lost because we didn't take our chances."
Kenneth Kronholm (Holstein Kiel): "It's extremely important for a visiting team to take the lead here at the Millerntor, otherwise it's tough. Sami's lob was really horrible and virtually impossible to defend. He did it really well. The ball skimming the bar is the luck you need sometimes."
Photo: Witters