"The game today had everything"

Robert Glatzel: We are a cohesive team who has played together for a long time and know what it comes down to in a home game like this: If you work hard then the fans will carry you for the whole 90 minutes. We started the game well, brought a lot of energy onto the pitch and kept it up over the 90 minutes. We rotated a lot, played the ball in behind a lot, which is how we created space. It was a brilliant game plan.

Jonas Meffert: When I ran out to warm-up today, all the frustration surrounding the relegation play-off was gone – all that was left was pure motivation! Our fans give us so much energy, it’s crazy. I was already thinking during the game that I’ve probably never experienced a game like this before. It was just amazing. We saw a lot of new players today, who have brought a lot of new energy with them. The coaching staff prepared us perfectly for this opponent, we knew exactly what to do to create easy chances, which we did. It was an important win, but in the end it only counts for three points. We have won one game now, but still have 33 ahead of us and have to improve on some things.

Laszlo Benes: It’s an indescribable feeling. I felt that everyone wanted to win the game. It was just really enjoyable. We are pleased that we won today. The first game is always important, especially against an opponent like that. The game today had everything that makes football what it is. We know that we have unbelievable quality and we have also strengthened our team with some new signings. Obviously, we are also hoping for our injured players to recover quickly because we will need everyone over the course of the season. We know that today was just the first game.
  

"The boys never doubted and were full of enthusiasm and energy." Tim Walter

Levin Öztunali: It's a successful day overall. We did a lot of things right today, even if there is always potential to improve. Everyone contributed and played their part. We didn’t leave the pitch as undeserving winners. For me personally, there was positive tension there before the game. I wanted to help the team and as a team we wanted to be at it right from matchday one; we managed to do that.

Tim Walter: I am really pleased with my team. We started the game well, took an early lead and then created a lot of goalscoring opportunities because we were very flexible in attack. It was not enjoyable that despite this, we then went into the dressing rooms at half time behind, but the boys never doubted and were full of enthusiasm and energy. We showed in the second half that we always want to keep playing forward. Even with the equaliser, we clicked into gear again. The red card also played into our hands and ultimately two players, Glatzel and Dompe, confirmed the win late on. A team that creates that many chances deserves to win in the end, but we also know that we still want and have to do a few things better.

Thomas Reis: Congratulations to HSV. There cannot be any disputing the fact that over 90 minutes the win was completely deserved. We didn’t start the game well. HSV showed immediately what sets them apart – their ability with ball. What was good in the first half was our efficiency: We scored two goals from two chances. We wanted to correct a few things after the break, but that didn’t go quite right for us. It is disappointing that we didn’t take anything away with us in the end even though we scored three goals.