It could have been the perfect evening for Bernhard Hendl. The BFC Dynamo keeper was Man of the Match in the DFB first-round tie against FC Schalke 04, however he couldn’t prevent the 2-0 defeat against the Bundesliga side to keep his team in the competition. The 25-year old spoke to FUSSBALL.de in an interview about winning the Man of the Match award and why saving shots from Leon Goretzka isn’t anything special to him.
FUSSBALL.de: Bernhard Hendl, how did you feel after the DFB Cup match against Schalke?
Bernhard Hendl: The evening was relaxing and I slept well, however I was inevitably still disappointed about the loss.
FUSSBALL.de: Are you not the type of player who is still full of adrenaline for at least an hour after the match?
Hendl: Not at all! I ate dinner with my family after the match, of course a little later than usual. It was lovely to see all my family watching me play live from the stadium. I had my own little fan club in the crowd!
FUSSBALL.de: You were voted Man of the Match, however surely you would have preferred the unofficial title of “Hero of the evening?”
Hendl: Of course we would have preferred to win the match, however it was a great experience for everybody at the club and our fans. I am really pleased with my Man of the Match award as it proves I played well on the evening.
FUSSBALL.de: Where are you going to keep your Man of the Match trophy?
Hendl: Next to my bed so that I will see it every evening and remember this fantastic match.
FUSSBALL.de: And will you be dreaming of saving shots against the likes of Germany international Leon Goretzka?
Hendl: That won’t be happening. My job is to make sure I don’t let any goals in. For me, it doesn’t matter if I’m saving shots against Leon Goretzka or a player from the third division, as long as I do my job properly.
FUSSBALL.de: Why do you think you lost the match against Schalke?
Hendl: We were sluggish at the start and therefore found it difficult to get ourselves into the game. I think we were a bit overwhelmed by the crowd and facing such a big opponent. We improved as the game went on and had one or two good chances, but in the end Schalke were by far the better team. Nevertheless, I am proud of our performance.
FUSSBALL.de: How do you prepare for cup ties as a goalkeeper?
Hendl: In many ways, for example watching videos on YouTube. I’m not the kind of player who spends hours watching video material ahead of a match, but I did watch a few Schalke highlights to prepare myself for the opponent. Our head coach René Rydlewicz prepared us well for the match, but against such a top opponent you must keep fully focused for the duration of the match.
FUSSBALL.de: How will this experience help you throughout the upcoming session? Your league campaign continues on Sunday; however, you won’t be facing teams of the same calibre as Schalke…
Hendl: We must imagine that we are playing a top team like Schalke and replicate our performance on Monday. We’ve made a good start to the new season, winning four points from our first two matches. We want to continue this form with the aim of achieving promotion.
FUSSBALL.de: This is your third year playing for BFC Dynamo. Do you think you want to permanently stay in the capital?
Hendl: I can imagine staying here. I feel at home, however it all depends on how well we do this season and what the club is planning to do. I have extended my contract by one-year until 2018 so we’ll have a chat about the future early next year.
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It could have been the perfect evening for Bernhard Hendl. The BFC Dynamo keeper was Man of the Match in the DFB first-round tie against FC Schalke 04, however he couldn’t prevent the 2-0 defeat against the Bundesliga side to keep his team in the competition. The 25-year old spoke to FUSSBALL.de in an interview about winning the Man of the Match award and why saving shots from Leon Goretzka isn’t anything special to him.
FUSSBALL.de: Bernhard Hendl, how did you feel after the DFB Cup match against Schalke?
Bernhard Hendl: The evening was relaxing and I slept well, however I was inevitably still disappointed about the loss.
FUSSBALL.de: Are you not the type of player who is still full of adrenaline for at least an hour after the match?
Hendl: Not at all! I ate dinner with my family after the match, of course a little later than usual. It was lovely to see all my family watching me play live from the stadium. I had my own little fan club in the crowd!
FUSSBALL.de: You were voted Man of the Match, however surely you would have preferred the unofficial title of “Hero of the evening?”
Hendl: Of course we would have preferred to win the match, however it was a great experience for everybody at the club and our fans. I am really pleased with my Man of the Match award as it proves I played well on the evening.
FUSSBALL.de: Where are you going to keep your Man of the Match trophy?
Hendl: Next to my bed so that I will see it every evening and remember this fantastic match.
FUSSBALL.de: And will you be dreaming of saving shots against the likes of Germany international Leon Goretzka?
Hendl: That won’t be happening. My job is to make sure I don’t let any goals in. For me, it doesn’t matter if I’m saving shots against Leon Goretzka or a player from the third division, as long as I do my job properly.
FUSSBALL.de: Why do you think you lost the match against Schalke?
Hendl: We were sluggish at the start and therefore found it difficult to get ourselves into the game. I think we were a bit overwhelmed by the crowd and facing such a big opponent. We improved as the game went on and had one or two good chances, but in the end Schalke were by far the better team. Nevertheless, I am proud of our performance.
FUSSBALL.de: How do you prepare for cup ties as a goalkeeper?
Hendl: In many ways, for example watching videos on YouTube. I’m not the kind of player who spends hours watching video material ahead of a match, but I did watch a few Schalke highlights to prepare myself for the opponent. Our head coach René Rydlewicz prepared us well for the match, but against such a top opponent you must keep fully focused for the duration of the match.
FUSSBALL.de: How will this experience help you throughout the upcoming session? Your league campaign continues on Sunday; however, you won’t be facing teams of the same calibre as Schalke…
Hendl: We must imagine that we are playing a top team like Schalke and replicate our performance on Monday. We’ve made a good start to the new season, winning four points from our first two matches. We want to continue this form with the aim of achieving promotion.
FUSSBALL.de: This is your third year playing for BFC Dynamo. Do you think you want to permanently stay in the capital?
Hendl: I can imagine staying here. I feel at home, however it all depends on how well we do this season and what the club is planning to do. I have extended my contract by one-year until 2018 so we’ll have a chat about the future early next year.
