Sander Tangvik: “I didn’t want a long break”

Sander Tangvik returned to training with the Rothosen on Tuesday morning (28th July). It has been an eventful summer for the 23-year-old, who made history with Norway at the World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the USA. The Norwegians reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time, where they were eventually beaten by England after extra-time. Tangvik did not feature at the tournament as the back-up goalkeeper, but described the experience as “incredible” for both himself and his international teammates when speaking to the media. He discussed…

… his World Cup campaign with Norway: “I’ve only got good memories of the World Cup. It was an incredible experience, not just for me but for the whole team. It was crazy being in the USA and seeing the pictures of what was happening back home in Norway, particularly on the streets of Oslo. It felt like there was a party going on for two months! We brought the whole country together. When we arrived back at the airport in Norway, the place was absolutely packed. Then we took the bus to the Royal Palace and there were people everywhere. We also got the chance to meet the King, which was a huge moment for me and the others. Of course, I would have loved to make my international debut at the World Cup, but it is what it is. The competition was tough and we had three good goalkeepers. Everyone saw how well Ørjan Nyland played in the games.”

… the rowing celebration that went viral: “It was a bit of fun and ended up becoming known all over the world. My arms are still tired from it! Now I’m teaching the others how to do it on the rowing machine in the gym.”

… his return to HSV training: “It’s really nice to be back. I’d been looking forward to it a lot. I didn’t want a long break. I wanted to get back with the team, get going again and show what I can do. Two weeks off was enough. I feel refreshed mentally and my body feels good.”

… the competition for the number-one spot at HSV: “I believe in myself and I’ll give everything I’ve got. I’ll push ‘Ferro’ all the way. Nothing has been decided yet. We’re still in pre-season and everyone has to show what they can do. I’ll do everything I can to get more minutes. Today is my first day back, so we’ll see where things stand when the season starts.”

… being the number two: “It’s probably the toughest role in football because you get so little game time. I had to be patient last season, but then I got my chance in the final game and did a good job. I was able to show the fans, my teammates and the coaches that I can perform at the highest level. I think that probably also convinced the national-team staff that I was in good form.”

… his conversations with Merlin Polzin: “I haven’t spoken to Merlin all that much yet. This morning it was just breakfast and then we went straight into training. I’m sure we’ll have a proper chat soon. He’ll probably be interested to hear what made us so successful with Norway and how we managed to do it.”