“This evening is tough to take”

Daniel Heuer Fernandes: We started the match exactly as we’d hoped. We managed to put a lot of what we had planned into practice. There was a good combination of sitting deep and staying compact, along with spells of possession. We knew that the opposition played with high intensity and pressed well, but we dealt with that were able to get forward. Our first-half performance was spot on and that’s ouir main takeaway from today. Unfortunately, we didn’t do quite as well in the second period. We couldn’t get into our rhythm and the opponent pushed us back. It’s also frustrating to concede three penalties away from home. That’s going to make it hard to get all three points. We’ll take a good look at this game. 

Nicolai Remberg: When you are 2-0 up in Dortmund but end up losing, it’s disappointing. We said at half-time that we would continue to try to play and would look for the killer goal. However, we were then forced right back, so much so that we could not get forward. You’ve got to accept the fact that you might concede a goal and penalties happen but giving away three or four is too many.

Albert Sambi Lokonga: We made too many mistakes today in order to win a game like this one. There was a huge contrast between the first and second halves. We did not manage to put our stamp on the game after half-time or play out as we would have wanted.

Claus Costa: We were really good in the first half, effectively countering on a number of occasions and were quick in the transition. We also had the odd spell in possession. It is not to be taken for granted that you can go about things with so much bravery away from home against an opponent of this calibre. We had aimed to continue in exactly the same vein in the second half, but our opponent ultimately got better and better and eventually pinned us back. We perhaps didn’t act too cleverly in conceding the penalties, but in a phase of the game like that, there are always going to be plenty of penalty-area comings together when things are tight. You always run the risk of making a mistake or committing a handball. The international break now provides us with the chance for a breather and we can take a lot of positives from that first half.

Merlin Polzin: Congratulations to Niko and Borussia Dortmund for a deserved win. Nevertheless, this evening is extremely tough to take, given how the lads performed in the first half. Our defensive set-up was effective and, at the same time, we found ways around Dortmund’s press when we had the ball. That was evident not just for the goals, but throughout much of the first half. We knew the pressure would increase after the break and that Dortmund would take more risks. We defended well for a long time and had an outstanding goalkeeper in Ferro. We managed until the 70th minute, but then the Westfalenstadion made the difference. It’s extremely disappointing. It’s hard to take anything away from a Bundesliga match when you concede three penalties – especially against an opponent like this one. We need to learn from these situations. At the start of the season, we talked about the main things that we would need to get right, and now it’s all about the details. 

Niko Kovac: HSV did a lot right in the first half, most of all defending well and with intensity. Our football was too slow to break that down and we did not create enough overloads, which we weren’t happy about. Our half-time team talk was a stern one and that made a real difference, along with the two substitutions. The crowd’s energy and intensity obviously helped during the second half. I would have liked to have seen the way we played in the second half right from the off. That’s what is required in the Bundesliga. Regardless, I would like to complement the team for demonstrating what they are capable of in the second half and what our standard is. We left the field deserved winners