DFB-Pokal
01.03.22
Jonas Meffert: "The cup can weld a team together!"
After the bitter derby defeat in which he scored his first goal for HSV, Jonas Meffert looks forward to the upcoming cup quarter-final against KSC with anticipation and zest for action.
A cheer as typical as his nature: When Jonas Meffert scored his first ever goal for HSV in the North derby against Werder Bremen, the 27-year-old reacted with almost Nordic undercoolness. A quick glance at the provider of the assist, a quick glance at the linesman, his hands spread out to the side - the "six-man" didn't quite know what hit him in the roaring Volksparkstadion. "It was funny because I was 100 per cent sure I was offside. I didn't notice the opponent at my back," Meffert clarified in the HSVtv interview. "It was a special moment because I haven't scored a goal in a long time and I really wanted to score once in front of this crowd." However, the right-footer was only partially happy about his first goal, as the Rothosen were narrowly beaten 3-2 by their northern rivals after a dramatic exchange of blows: "I would have preferred not to score a goal and to win the game. It was a bitter defeat that hurt a lot - especially here at home."
"The cup is always special"
Meffert, who moved to the Elbe from Kiel last summer, maintains a clear view of the overall situation despite the painful defeat, as he has throughout the season. The Cologne-born player gives the black-and-white thinking that often prevails in football a colourful and self-confident touch. Accordingly, he is already looking positively towards tomorrow's DFB Cup quarter-final against Karlsruher SC (live on HSVnetradio from 6.15pm). "We played a very good game against Bremen, especially in the second half, really unleashed the pressure and didn't let the opponent out the back anymore," explained "Meffo", looking inside the Volksparkstadion, where the optical reconstruction measures for the cup competition are taking place in the meantime. "When you see this, you immediately feel that something special is waiting for you. A cup season can always weld a team together. You've already felt that this season, when the wins on penalties in Nürnberg and Cologne released new strength."
The summer addition to the Rothosen, who has so far lived up to his reputation as a tireless mile-maker (264.1 km total distance, second league rank 6) and pacesetter in defensive midfield in the HSV kit, knows what he is talking about. In the last cup season, Meffert marched Holstein Kiel all the way to the semi-finals - beating FC Bayern Munich and Darmstadt 98, among others, 8:7 after penalty shootouts on the way there. In the semi-finals (0:5) they lost to the future cup winners Borussia Dortmund. Now Meffert is the only active second division player who can reach the cup semi-finals for the second time in a row. For HSV, it would also be the second semi-final appearance in four years - in the 2018/19 cup season, RB Leipzig prevented them from cashing in their ticket for Berlin with a 3:1 victory at the Volksparkstadion.
"The KSC is an unpleasant opponent".
The hurdle to overcome this time is Meffert's former club, Karlsruher SC, of all teams. From 2014 to 2016 and again in 2017 as a loan player, "Meffo" laced up his football boots for the Baden club. However, the match does not have any special significance for him because of that. "That was a long time ago. In the first leg, it was special to return to Karlsruhe with HSV because of the relegation in 2015. But that is now behind us. The match is special for me because it is a DFB Cup quarter-final," analyses "Meffo".
And a cup quarter-final is always something to look forward to, even if the last eight does not feature a title winner since 1992 and, for the first time since the 2003/04 season, four second-division teams. "KSC is an unpleasant opponent and especially dangerous when it comes to standards through Wanitzek and Hofmann. The team is always good for one or two goals. So it won't be any easier than against Cologne," says Meffert - with an undertone in his voice that is as level-headed as it is determined.