It was long night for Volkan Uluc, as the 45-year-old head coach of Regionalliga side FC Carl-Zeiss-Jena tried his best to answer every message of congratulations that came his way. Just hours before he had watched his team beat Bundesliga side Hamburger SV 3-2 in what was one of the biggest upsets of the first round of this DFB Cup.
At one point it had looked like the Bundesliga team had yet again managed to save their skin – after HSV had already levelled the game once, it took a Michael Gregoritisch goal deep into added time to take the game into extra time.
It certainly wasn’t just Uluc who at that point thought back to Hamburg’s dramatic relegation play-off against Karlsruher SC, when a late goal from Marcelo Diaz saved the Bundesliga side from their first ever relegation into the 2. Liga. HSV played well in extra time, but the lower-division side came through victorious to claim one of this season’s first big upsets. Uluc sat down with DFB.de to talk about that late HSV equaliser, the surprising eventual result and his hopes for the second round.
DFB.de: Mr. Uluc, was beating a Bundesliga side the biggest success of your career so far?
Volkan Uluc: In Germany, for sure. I was lucky enough to reach the semi-finals of the cup during my time as coach of Iranian side Shahin Bushehr – we played in front of 60,000 fans but unfortunately lost that game. That was definitely a high point of my career. Right now, I’m really happy for the club and especially for the fans that we were able to beat Hamburg and progress to the next round.
DFB.de: Do you still have to pinch yourself to realise that the 3-2 wasn’t just a dream?
Uluc: During the game, and immediately after, I was just focusing on what was happening on the pitch. Looking back, I did have to ask myself a couple of times if it was all real. As a lower-league side, all you dream of a footballing fairytale such as this one. We made that dream a reality because we believed we could do it. That was what was needed.
DFB.de: What tipped the balance in favour of your team?
It was long night for Volkan Uluc, as the 45-year-old head coach of Regionalliga side FC Carl-Zeiss-Jena tried his best to answer every message of congratulations that came his way. Just hours before he had watched his team beat Bundesliga side Hamburger SV 3-2 in what was one of the biggest upsets of the first round of this DFB Cup.
At one point it had looked like the Bundesliga team had yet again managed to save their skin – after HSV had already levelled the game once, it took a Michael Gregoritisch goal deep into added time to take the game into extra time.
It certainly wasn’t just Uluc who at that point thought back to Hamburg’s dramatic relegation play-off against Karlsruher SC, when a late goal from Marcelo Diaz saved the Bundesliga side from their first ever relegation into the 2. Liga. HSV played well in extra time, but the lower-division side came through victorious to claim one of this season’s first big upsets. Uluc sat down with DFB.de to talk about that late HSV equaliser, the surprising eventual result and his hopes for the second round.
DFB.de: Mr. Uluc, was beating a Bundesliga side the biggest success of your career so far?
Volkan Uluc: In Germany, for sure. I was lucky enough to reach the semi-finals of the cup during my time as coach of Iranian side Shahin Bushehr – we played in front of 60,000 fans but unfortunately lost that game. That was definitely a high point of my career. Right now, I’m really happy for the club and especially for the fans that we were able to beat Hamburg and progress to the next round.
DFB.de: Do you still have to pinch yourself to realise that the 3-2 wasn’t just a dream?
Uluc: During the game, and immediately after, I was just focusing on what was happening on the pitch. Looking back, I did have to ask myself a couple of times if it was all real. As a lower-league side, all you dream of a footballing fairytale such as this one. We made that dream a reality because we believed we could do it. That was what was needed.
DFB.de: What tipped the balance in favour of your team?
Uluc: We executed our tactics as well as I’ve ever seen – we stayed very well organised. In some difficult temperatures we were able to fend off all they threw at us, and even more impressively we were able to score three goals against a Bundesliga side. I’m really proud of my team’s performance.
DFB.de: What was going through your head when HSV scored that late goal to make it 2-2?
Uluc: I have to admit, there was a flash of doubt in my mind for a few seconds. I did think for a second that Bruno Labbadia and HSV simply couldn’t be put to bed.
DFB.de: What effect did your team talk before extra time started have?
Uluc: We had been so close to success in normal time, so conceding a goal to make it 2-2 so late on had definitely affected the players. Luckily we were able to restore our lead quickly, as we definitely didn’t want penalties. A number of players had already played out of their skin – they’d played the game of their lives. At the end of the day, the deciding factor that won us the game was our passion and will to win which the players showed throughout the game.
DFB.de: How big a role did the fans play?
Uluc: The support we got from the stands was fantastic. Former players were coming up to me to say that they’ve never experienced such a good atmosphere. The mood in the city at the moment is euphoric. The stadium was sold out in a matter of days, even the seats in the extra stands. The fact that we were able to give our fans a victory makes me very happy.
DFB.de: Did you allow your players some time off to celebrate?
Uluc: It’s not every day you beat a Bundesliga side – therefore yes, I allowed the lads to go out and celebrate. I wasn’t worried, because despite their young age my players are very mature. Instead of partying, I went out for dinner with my coaching staff!
DFB.de: Is it now going to get easier or harder for Jena in the league?
Uluc: I fear it might get harder. It will obviously take a while before we get back into the routine of daily life. That’s just how it is – especially for younger players. No one is going to get carried away – the character of the team is impeccable. We’ll switch our concentration straight away to next weekend. The next highlight of our long season is one Saturday – at home to my former team BFC Dynamo.
DFB.de: What does this season hold for you at Jena?
Uluc: We’re a very young team that finds itself in a year of transition. We’re looking to challenge for the top places this season. Our goal is to consistently improve over the next two to three years.
DFB.de: Which team are you hoping to come up against in the second round?
Uluc: We’ll see what we get. It’s still a great feeling to know that we’re in Friday’s draw. I hope Felix Neureuther picks us out a good tie.
