Post match reaction
23.04.19
"We still have important games ahead of us"
HSV were defeated 3-1 by RB Leipzig in the semi-final of the DFB-Pokal, despite a good performance, and will be able to take some positives into the coming weeks. HSV.de has the post match reaction.
The dream is over – Hamburger SV were knocked out of the DFB-Pokal in the semi-final after a 3-1 loss to RB Leipzig. Hamburg showed a good and determined performance against the third-placed Bundesliga side, with Bakery Jatta scoring for Die Rothosen. Youssuf Poulsen deservedly opened the scoring for the home side in the 12th minute but was pegged back by Jatta’s strike in the 24th. The two sides went into half-time level, but the visitors were a step ahead in the second half. Vasilije Janjicic suffered an unfortunate own goal in the 53rd minute which saw the visitors regain the lead, and Emil Forsberg doubled the advantage 19 minutes later. Despite the cup exit, the Rothosen were positive after the game and looked ahead to the end of season run-in.
Douglas Santos: We played well in the first half and enjoyed a good share of possession and fought well in the one-on-ones, and even had chances to take the lead. Unfortunately, in the second half they had more and more possession and it is always difficult to play against such a strong team. It is a shame to go out of the cup but we still have important games ahead of us. Our goal is promotion. Every good game gives us belief, therefore we have to give everything in every game. Personally, I think it worked out well for me in midfield. At the start I had to settle in, but generally speaking I really enjoyed it.
Bakery Jatta: It is disappointing. We fought hard and played well as a team but despite that, we lost. But sometimes that’s the way it is in football. We will keep going. With every good game you get more self belief and confidence, and we have to take the positives. In terms of my goal, I just tried to win the ball and then I tried my luck and went for goal.
Aaron Hunt: We played well over long stretches of the game today, even if we may have allowed them one or two chances. Unfortunately we went two goals down too early. It is a shame because there was more in it today. It was completely different to a league game. On Sunday we have another game, so we can’t dwell on tonight too much. Most of the time we are the favourites in the league matches and the opponents sit deep. Baka was the best player on the pitch today – he had a really good game.
Gideon Jung: We put in a good performance and defended well for most of it. It is always hard to defend against a team with so much quality going forward. We need to play like we did today in the league. We have now a few games left and have to look forward. Already on Sunday we can show that we are fully committed. Personally, I have been improving bit by bit and played well today compared to other games. I had been disappointed in myself. It is difficult after an injury to get back to being your best.
Hannes Wolf: At the beginning, Leipzig came at us with a lot of momentum. We lost the ball in important areas, which you simply can’t afford to do. We went 1-0 down from a set-piece. However, we reacted well to make it 1-1. Up until half-time, we were in the game and had chances to take the lead. We started well in the second half too but we went 2-1 down. From then on, Leipzig defended well and were efficient going forward. In the end, it was still a good cup run. Now we have to focus on the league.
Ralf Rangnick: We were fantastic in the first twenty minutes. We clearly dominated and should have scored two or three goals. We felt secure after taking the lead but then a moment of class from Jatta made it 1-1. The fans were behind their team and they began to play well and we could have gone behind during this time. We changed things up at half-time and we were right to do so. In the second half, we took our chances and didn’t give them many opportunities. In the end, it was a deserved victory.