“Real fight, real heart and three deserved points”

Sebastian Schonlau: We had some issues with Köln’s pressing at the start of the game, we were making sloppy mistakes which gave our opponents easy chances. We then grew into the game, got out of the press, and scored two goals. We defended well at the end and saw the three points over the line. It was a good start for us, we showed real fight, and real heart, whilst also playing some good football. We defended like lions and cleared all the danger and, in the end, picked up three deserved points. 

Miro Muheim: It was a very intensive game, and we defended extremely well as a team. It was annoying that they got a goal back, but in the end, we won the game. We withstood the pressure of strong opposition really well. We consciously allowed them more of the ball, because this took away their strong counter-press, we stood compact, managed the end of the game well and won deservedly.

"If you want to win at Köln, you’ve got to play exactly like that! " Davie Selke

Davie Selke: “I had a great time at Köln, so I can live with the booing and whistling. I’m pleased to have got my first minutes at HSV under my belt, because I was still suffering from a stomach bug yesterday at the hotel and wouldn’t have thought I’d have been able to have played today. We had to withstand a lot of pressure today, but we were successful in that, defending well and, in my opinion, deservedly winning. If you want to win at Köln, you’ve got to play exactly like that! 

Ransford Königsdörffer: Each and every one of us gave it their all, everyone was fighting for each other, and we were ice-cold with our chances. We purposefully were a little more defensive because we didn’t want to let ourselves get pressed by one of the best pressing sides in the league. That worked really well, and it’s of course an optimal start to the season for us. Personally, I’m really pleased with the two goals, so thanks to Jean-Luc and Adam for the brilliant assists. 

Jonas Meffert: As someone who is from Cologne, this game was particularly special for me, and I’m even more happy with the fact that we won. It was a great tactic by us to let Köln have the ball. We also saw there’s lots of room for improvement in our game. For example, in the second half we could have been braver on the ball and in attack. That said, our plans for the game were executed perfectly. 

"Keep a clear head and put in a shift!" Daniel Heuer Fernandes

Daniel Heuer Fernandes: I was really impressed with how we performed here tonight against very strong opposition. We purposefully chose a slightly different approach in order to neutralise a strong element of Köln’s game and to remove their option to press. We tried our best in this approach and got our reward for it in the end. After such a long break, it was a special game for me, but you need to keep a clear head and put in a shift. I think I did well today. I love playing football and want to keep my performance levels high to help the team achieve great results. 

Steffen Baumgart: We tried to prevent Köln from pressing us, as that is one of their key strengths. We also took our chances in the first half, which helped us massively. We didn’t do so well in the second half in terms of playing football. But our defending certainly made up for it. On the whole, we played like we have to play in Bundesliga 2, and as a result, we’ve come away with the three points.