Post Match Reactions
27.08.18
“We put in a massive effort“
HSV won 3-0 against Arminia Bielefeld on the third matchday of Bundesliga 2. It was a hard-fought game, as seen from the players’ post-match comments.
HSV took the three points against Arminia Bielefeld on the third matchday with a 3-0 win. At first glance, the scoreline hints at a one-sided game, but the result doesn’t reflect a hard-fought and close encounter. Die Roten Hosen might have taken took the lead early on through Lewis Holtby’s finish, but the game was an equal and very watchable clash after that. Striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga finally put the game to bed with a brace late on, rewarding the HSV for their graft. The Hamburg players were unanimous in the amount of effort they put in, evident from their post-match comments, presented by HSV.de.
Pierre-Michel Lasogga: I’m happy that I managed to make it 2-0. It felt like my first chance on goal, but I always wait for my opportunity to score, even if it takes the whole game. We put in a massive effort today, and saw that nothing is just given to you for free in the second division. We got off to a good start with the early goal, but Bielefeld piled on the pressure and clearly believed that they could get an equaliser. We played well for a long time, but didn’t look like we’d score. I’m pleased that I was able to help the team with my brace. I spoke with Lewis (Holtby) briefly before the penalty. I’d built some momentum after my first goal, and didn’t spend too long thinking about where I was going to put it; I just slotted it in. Playing at home again is something special for me, of course. I’ve always had a good relationship with the fans and always felt their support, even when times have been tough.
Lewis Holtby: If I had to choose between a game where you play sensationally at some points but lose 3-0, or a match where you have some good and some bad phases but ultimately win 3-0, then I’d choose the latter. We still have a lot to build on and must do a lot of things better. It’s fine to be on the back foot a bit when we’re not playing so well, but we’ve still got to be on top of things. At the end of the day, you’ve got to win games and be in control, which we did today. We won the game for Jairo above all – hence my celebration. The way in which he’s injured himself is really awful. It’s hard to find the right words to describe the situation.
Julian Pollersbeck: We got the goals and, therefore, we deserved to win. Regarding the controversy before the break: in my eyes, the ball hit my hand on the line. I took a step back into the box as the shot was taken. There isn’t any video footage though, which is also probably a good thing in this case. Pierre can always make a difference with his special talent, but today’s victory was a team effort and everyone gave it their all. After the loss in the first game, we’re now back on track with two good wins. The win also meant something very important to me. Unfortunately, a good friend of mine died recently, so I’m dedicating our victory to him and his family today.
Aaron Hunt: It was a good performance from us today. We had some solid passages and showed a lot of dominance. The only blip was that Bielefeld should have made it 1-1 just before half time. They were hard to play against, as expected, because they kept on making runs and poking holes in our defence, especially with their strikers. We know that we have a wealth of talent up front. I believe that we’ll keep getting better in the next few games, and we’re on the right track.
Christian Titz: We knew before the game that it’d be tough against Bielefeld. They just never stop running, but in the first thirty minutes we did the exact same really well. After that, we just couldn’t chase every loose ball, and if the opposition had equalised at that point, it could have been a completely different game. We reorganised ourselves in the second half and once we had made it 2-0, the game was decided. The final scoreline doesn’t really reflect how the game actually went, as Bielefeld did play well. At the end of the day, I’m happy that we won and kept a clean sheet.