FC St. Pauli

Head coach Fabian Hürzeler: "We played really well, especially in the first half. We took an early lead, which played into our hands. After that we showed exactly the kind of football we've shown all season. We played out courageously from the back, tempted our opponents forward and created momentum in behind. We were lucky with the second goal, though we did press them well. In that phase of the game we had more situations where we ran at their backline and had three or four really good attempts on goal. It would have been a different game if we'd made it 3-0 there. In the second half I still felt we had the game under control, but we knew HSV would get close to our goal at some point. That they were so clinical speaks for them, you have to say. We conceded too easily because we've been defending these things well so far, especially the way they both came about. My team responded really well after that. We wanted it, but we weren't quite as resolute and didn't have any more clear-cut chances. Looking at the game as a whole, I think it was another step in the right direction. We played our game against the team in second, were very dominant and apart from the two goals we conceded were very solid at the back. It's a disappointing result for us. As far as the performance is concerned, we'll pull out the phases that were definitely positive."

Hauke Wahl: "I think we would have really deserved the win today. We played well, gave little away, and were leading 2-0. We could and should have had more. It's our fault for not putting the game to bed sooner. It's a disappointing result for us. Something can always happen in any situation. It was still tremendous fun, though. It was my first Hamburg derby. These games are the reason you play football. It's why you become a footballer. There was so much happening in the stands. The energy we got from our fans was extremely good. The support was great, especially in the phase when we conceded the equaliser. They tried to give us wings."

Johannes Eggestein: "We dominated the game and were much the better team, so we can't be happy with just a 2-2 draw. We need to analyse the two goals we conceded. The gaps between the lines were too big, which gave HSV the chance to break, and they took their chances with brutal efficiency. We have to live with the 2-2 draw, though we would have liked to win, of course. We're still top, though, and still unbeaten. We'll take that into the last three games and give it all we've got again."

Tim Walter (HSV coach): "It was a thrilling game for the fans in which both teams felt each other out a bit, especially at the beginning. Things were working pretty well up the first goal, where we weren't too clever. After that we could do little right, we were no longer in it and conceded a slapstick second. You go in at half-time wondering what the answer is, but we came up with one. We made some slight adjustments and set our wide players on the centre-backs. That helped us win the ball and that's how we got the goals. Both were really well worked. After that it was a battle of attrition, which wasn't so easy on the heavy pitch. I'm very pleased with the point because in the end it was well deserved."

Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters