BLESSIN: "WE WERE CLOSER TO 3-3 THAN LEIPZIG TO 4-2"
Tuesday, 29. October 2024, 22:19 Uhr
The Boys in Brown made a great fight of it but were unable to avoid going out of the DFB Cup in Leipzig. After the 4-2 defeat there was frustration in the camp over the ease with which the home side got their goals, but also satisfaction with the performance, especially after the break.
Head coach Alexander Blessin: "Congratulations to Marco and his team. We were too reserved in the first half and had problems with Leipzig's build-up play, especially when Kevin Kampl and Arthur Vermeeren dropped back. We weren't bold enough in our marking there, which meant we struggled to get a grip. Our organisation and timing in the box were bad for the first goal and our timing for the marking was bad again for the second. We then made it 2-1 and were back in the game. I'm really pleased Morgan got a goal. But we conceded the third straightaway after a bit of pinball. In the second half we wanted to show more courage and put more pressure on Kampl and Vermeeren, which worked very well. We won lots of possession and deservedly made it 3-2, after which it was very close again. We were closer to 3-3 than Leipzig to 4-2 in that phase. Leipzig injected more pace with their substitutions and after the fourth goal it was all done and dusted. We'll take the positives from the performance, especially in the second half."
Eric Smith: "Leipzig are one of the best clubs in the country. We did well, especially in the second half. In the first half they scored two easy goals, but we picked ourselves up and got one back. It felt like we were back in it but then we conceded the third, which was a bit unfortunate. We made too many mistakes, but the first 30 minutes in the second half were very good, especially going forward. We have to build on that."
Johannes Eggestein: "It's extremely hard to win a game when you concede four goals. We made one or two individual errors too many. In the first half we didn't mount enough pressure on the ball, which we meant we dropped very deep. We were much better in that respect after the break. We had 20 really good minutes when we put Leipzig under pressure and had some good spells of possession. All in all, we can be pleased with the performance. We did very well, especially in possession and were dominant on the ball. We created lots of chances and scored twice. That's the positive we can take into the next few games, including the next one at Hoffenheim."
Morgan Guilavogui: "It was tough at 4-2, but we gave our all right to the end. We did lots of good things and showed we can score goals today. I finally got my first and I'm obviously delighted, but I'm more annoyed about the defeat and getting knocked out of the cup."
Marco Rose (Leipzig coach): "We're pleased to have progressed a round further than last year. We cleared the hurdle today and it was deserved all in all. Compliments to my team for an excellent first half. We knew we had to be patient and curb any frustration because it's hard to create good opportunities against St. Pauli. We had lots of good actions in the first half, with some good flow to our play. We lost our rhythm for 20 minutes after the interval and let St. Pauli come back into it. It was an open game then until we made it 4-2. After that we defended well. It was a good cup display from my boys."
Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters