FC St. Pauli

Head coach Alexander Blessin: “We were lucky to win but I’m delighted. It wasn’t one of our best performances. Kiel varied their build-up play in the first half and played really well. We were too lethargic and careless. In the second half we played some summer football, so I’m glad we got the all-important equaliser before the break. We’ll take it, though. We’re slightly satisfied with the three lucky points – but no more than that.”

Philipp Treu: “We knew it’d be a hard-fought contest. Kiel gave it all they’ve got, but we held our own with all the means at our disposal. It was obviously disappointing to go behind to a shot from distance, but we came back well. It wasn’t our best performance. We’ll take the three points and now we have five finals left. When we got the second goal I just looked across to the referee and hoped his watch would somehow go off. Fortunately it did. It was a huge relief. We've taken another step towards safety, but it can still get tight again. There are five games left and we know what run-in we have. It was very important to lay down a marker against a direct rival.”

Hauke Wahl: “We didn’t play well. Kiel were far more tenacious in the first half and had the best actions. They could have led 2-1. In the second half it was more even. Neither team played well. We may have been a touch busier and had one or two half-chances, but we were unable to capitalise. In the end we have to say we were lucky to win today. It isn't easy for me. I spent many years at Kiel and I know today’s game was extremely important for them. I’m obviously delighted with the three points, but I know the people here. I know so many faces and I’m just sorry to see those faces after the game.”

Noah Weißhaupt: “It wasn’t a good performance, but we’ve put in lots of good performances in the last few weeks without winning. We haven’t played well for once, but we've taken three points, which feels good. Before the second goal I speculated that the ball would come through. Then it came through, I collected it, had a shot, and then went for the second ball. That was really important and eventually it went in and I’m delighted. The win is extremely important. It was one of the most important games this season.”

Danel Sinani: “It was a very important game. We know what the three points mean for us. We’re delighted. Kiel had more pressure than we did but we were focused throughout. It’s always a big step when you beat the teams at the bottom end of the table. It gives us lots of confidence for the next game against Leverkusen.”

Marcel Rapp (Holstein Kiel head coach): “It was an evenly balanced game decided by the momentum. There were different phases in the game. St. Pauli were a bit better early on but we also did really well even though we didn’t create any big chances. After the equaliser we could have regained the momentum when Remberg hit the bar. In the second half it was an even contest of a mediocre standard. A draw would have been a fairer result.”

Photos: Witters