"A special game with an unfortunate outcome".

There were moving moments before the kick-off of the first HSV match after the death of Uwe Seeler. The dignified and emotional commemorative activities surrounding the greatest HSV player of all time - organised within a very short time by HSV and the active fan scene as well as many helpers - created a goosebump atmosphere in the Volksparkstadion, which naturally also touched the HSV professionals. "These were special days that lie behind us and all HSVers," said Jonas Meffert, who, like all the other Rothosen, praised the tributes to HSV's greatest idol, saying: "It was a special game and a special atmosphere that Uwe Seeler deserved a thousand percent. We felt this special atmosphere, of course, yet we had to concentrate on the game from the kick-off, because we were determined to get the three points." Meffert & Co. explained why this did not work out in the end and why the home victory, which was so valuable from both a sporting and emotional point of view, did not succeed after the end of this dramatic 90 minutes plus almost ten minutes of injury time, in which HSV suffered a late knockout. The comments on the game.

Sebastian Schonlau: We had the game under control for long stretches, even if we mostly lacked the compelling actions. Nevertheless, we could have closed the deal towards the end, but unfortunately we didn't succeed, even though we had enough good chances. So all of a sudden, the Rostock team was able to strike. Of course, this 0:1 is a result to forget, because on this day we really wanted to win the first game without Uwe Seeler. 

"The ball just wouldn't go in today" Jonas Meffert

Jonas Meffert: In the first half, I think we did very well, much better than in Braunschweig, even though we didn't create any top-class chances. In the second half we weren't brave enough at the beginning, but then we did better again and in the end we were overwhelmingly superior, but the ball just wouldn't go in today. That's exactly what Rostock did better in the decisive scene and won the game 1:0.

Moritz Heyer: It's very disappointing that we caught a counter-attack in the middle of our phase of dominance, which decides the game. Of course, that shouldn't happen to us. Now we are empty-handed, although the performance was a clear improvement compared to the game in Braunschweig and we got better and better into the game and also had good chances. 

"We didn't reward ourselves in the end" Tim Walter

Tim Walter: It was a special game today. It wasn't much about football, but about paying tribute to the great Uwe Seeler. Football didn't play the most important role here, but rather the surrounding events. That was palpable today. Football-wise, we did much better today than last week. The longer the game went on, the more present we became. We didn't reward ourselves in the end. In the end, it was this one allowed counterattack chance that was successful for the opponent and led to an unfortunate outcome for us. Nevertheless, we have to be more present and more consistent. We have to improve that. We have to get back to the point where everyone goes beyond their performance limits. Everyone has seen once again that this league is not a foregone conclusion. 

Jens Härtel: At the end of the day, we were a bit lucky to get the three points. We would have been happy with a point because of the last ten minutes. But we implemented our match plan well. Especially at the beginning. We knew that there would always be spaces as long as the score was open. We played these spaces quite well and had chances. Nevertheless, we also needed a good goalkeeper, who made a great save, especially in the final phase. We worked hard for this victory in our own way.