Team

Königsdörffer: “Take this feeling into the next games now”

HSV striker Ransford Königsdörffer spoke about his goal in Heidenheim, the upcoming match against Union Berlin and the team’s current form.

Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer played a decisive role in HSV’s first away win of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. Deep into first-half stoppage time away at 1. FC Heidenheim, the 24-year-old striker showed real determination, took on Marnon Busch and fired a powerful angled shot into the net with his weaker left foot from just inside the box. His opening goal, scored at a psychologically important moment just before the break, put HSV on course for victory against a Heidenheim side known for their compact defending, before Rayan Philippe wrapped up the win late on with a second goal.

For Königsdörffer, it was a real weight off his shoulders. It was his first Bundesliga goal while in the starting XI and only his second in the top flight overall. Ahead of the new week of training and HSV’s 1,887th Bundesliga match, at home to 1. FC Union Berlin, the Berlin native talked about his important goal and the next challenge. He spoke in detail about…

…his goal in Heidenheim: I was obviously really happy about it. I hope I can take that feeling into the next games now. It’s clear that my goal return so far hasn’t been good enough. Sometimes you make the wrong decisions, sometimes you lack a bit of luck, or you don’t get into the right positions. I can definitely hold my hands up and say I’ve had enough chances and could have scored more goals. Now it’s about making better decisions in the future so that more goals follow.

…the criticism he’s faced: I don’t see everything and I don’t read everything, but of course there’s been some criticism and even a bit of hate. A lot of people still don’t believe in me. I hope I can change that view and show what I’m really capable of. But honestly, that criticism doesn’t interest me that much. What I really feel is the trust and backing of the people who matter to me – the coaching staff, my teammates and those closest to me.

…the overall situation: We definitely shouldn’t get carried away, because despite the recent win we’re still only three points clear of the relegation play-off place. A lot can happen in the next two games. We want to build on our most recent performances, perform again and pick up points.

…the upcoming home game: Union are not an easy opponent. We struggled against them in the reverse fixture. They defend deep, have quick attacking players and look for moments to counter-attack. It won’t be straightforward. We will have to work hard to create chances and then take them. We’ve definitely added some really good attacking players to the squad, and I’m very happy to have that support. We’ve also done well at the Volksparkstadion so far, and that’s something we want to build on this weekend.

…Steffen Baumgart’s return: I like “Baumi”. I had a good relationship with him when he was our coach here. Ultimately, that’s not too important though. It’s a Bundesliga game like any other one, and it’s a match everyone is looking forward to.