It was the first big upset in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. VfL Osnabrück’s 3:1 victory against Hamburger SV was remarkable now in retrospect. It wasn’t just that the third-division side had defeated a Bundesliga team – it was that Osnabrück played with ten men for over 70 minutes.
VfL striker Halil Savran’s contribution, scoring the opener shortly before the break, was crucial. The Osnabrück captain had been out of action for six months because of a knee cartilage injury. In an interview with DFB.de, the 32-year old talked about his surprise at the HSV result but also about their poor start to the season in the third tier. The club’s next match is against Chemnitzer FC (14:00 CEST).
DFB.de:Mr Savran, how do you explain the victory against Hamburger SV?
Halil Savran:It’s hard to find the right words. We’re yet to pick up a win in the league and are second-bottom with just two points. Our preparation for the match was anything but ideal.
DFB.de:And then you beat a Bundesliga side 3:1… and with ten men.
Savran:It’s still difficult to take it all in. It’s unbelievable, maybe even a small miracle. I just hope we’ve gotten over our dip and pick up our form in the league. That’s the most important thing to take from this victory.
DFB.de:What were you thinking after Marcel Appiah was shown a straight red 18 minutes into the game?
Savran:We all thought that was it. The sending off was clearly a massive blow to our prospects. I don’t think anyone gave us a hope after that. We had to focus, move on and convince ourselves that we could still win. We changed our formation, tightened things up and kept a high line in defence. The team was always looking to break on the counter.
DFB.de:Which worked very well…
Savran:It worked perfectly. That we knocked out a Bundesliga side playing with ten men is an extraordinary story. Stories likes these only happen in the DFB-Pokal – there was already a special atmosphere in the warm-up.
DFB.de:When did you start believing in an upset? After your goal before half-time?
Savran:That was a crucial moment because it put HSV under pressure and forced them to attack. That was perfect for us because it allowed us to play on the counter.
DFB.de:Mark Heider scored the second after 70 minutes and Ahmet Arslan added a third ten minutes later. Was is then that you started dreaming?
Savran:It was completely surreal. Hamburg were dominating of course, but they just couldn’t convert their chances, whereas we were decisive in the few opportunities we created. It just went our way on the day.
DFB.de:Was the game over at 3:0?
Savran:That’s what we thought, but then Hamburg scored their goal quite quickly after our third. That definitely increased the nerves. It would have been seriously tense had Hamburg scored another. I was substituted by that point so I could only watch from the sidelines, but the final whistle was a real salvation and that’s not an exaggeration.
DFB.de:You were then nominated man-of-the-match by the DFB president, Reinhard Grindel.
Savran:That was nice, particularly because it’s chosen by the fans. All the same, this may sound silly but personal awards don’t mean much to me; ultimately it’s all about the team’s success.
DFB.de:What did you feel after the final whistle?
Savran:The euphoria was huge, as you can imagine. We achieved something big that night. History just took an unbelievable turn and we celebrated afterwards in the locker-room. It was the first game in the DFB-Pokal for some of us too. These are unforgettable moments that shape us as footballers, but I’ll say it again – it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t turn things around in the league.
DFB.de:What can you achieve after Osnabrück’s amazing start to the competition?
Savran:Anything is possible. We showed against Hamburg that we have the potential; now, we just have to show it in the league too.
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It was the first big upset in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. VfL Osnabrück’s 3:1 victory against Hamburger SV was remarkable now in retrospect. It wasn’t just that the third-division side had defeated a Bundesliga team – it was that Osnabrück played with ten men for over 70 minutes.
VfL striker Halil Savran’s contribution, scoring the opener shortly before the break, was crucial. The Osnabrück captain had been out of action for six months because of a knee cartilage injury. In an interview with DFB.de, the 32-year old talked about his surprise at the HSV result but also about their poor start to the season in the third tier. The club’s next match is against Chemnitzer FC (14:00 CEST).
DFB.de:Mr Savran, how do you explain the victory against Hamburger SV?
Halil Savran:It’s hard to find the right words. We’re yet to pick up a win in the league and are second-bottom with just two points. Our preparation for the match was anything but ideal.
DFB.de:And then you beat a Bundesliga side 3:1… and with ten men.
Savran:It’s still difficult to take it all in. It’s unbelievable, maybe even a small miracle. I just hope we’ve gotten over our dip and pick up our form in the league. That’s the most important thing to take from this victory.
DFB.de:What were you thinking after Marcel Appiah was shown a straight red 18 minutes into the game?
Savran:We all thought that was it. The sending off was clearly a massive blow to our prospects. I don’t think anyone gave us a hope after that. We had to focus, move on and convince ourselves that we could still win. We changed our formation, tightened things up and kept a high line in defence. The team was always looking to break on the counter.
DFB.de:Which worked very well…
Savran:It worked perfectly. That we knocked out a Bundesliga side playing with ten men is an extraordinary story. Stories likes these only happen in the DFB-Pokal – there was already a special atmosphere in the warm-up.
DFB.de:When did you start believing in an upset? After your goal before half-time?
Savran:That was a crucial moment because it put HSV under pressure and forced them to attack. That was perfect for us because it allowed us to play on the counter.
DFB.de:Mark Heider scored the second after 70 minutes and Ahmet Arslan added a third ten minutes later. Was is then that you started dreaming?
Savran:It was completely surreal. Hamburg were dominating of course, but they just couldn’t convert their chances, whereas we were decisive in the few opportunities we created. It just went our way on the day.
DFB.de:Was the game over at 3:0?
Savran:That’s what we thought, but then Hamburg scored their goal quite quickly after our third. That definitely increased the nerves. It would have been seriously tense had Hamburg scored another. I was substituted by that point so I could only watch from the sidelines, but the final whistle was a real salvation and that’s not an exaggeration.
DFB.de:You were then nominated man-of-the-match by the DFB president, Reinhard Grindel.
Savran:That was nice, particularly because it’s chosen by the fans. All the same, this may sound silly but personal awards don’t mean much to me; ultimately it’s all about the team’s success.
DFB.de:What did you feel after the final whistle?
Savran:The euphoria was huge, as you can imagine. We achieved something big that night. History just took an unbelievable turn and we celebrated afterwards in the locker-room. It was the first game in the DFB-Pokal for some of us too. These are unforgettable moments that shape us as footballers, but I’ll say it again – it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t turn things around in the league.
DFB.de:What can you achieve after Osnabrück’s amazing start to the competition?
Savran:Anything is possible. We showed against Hamburg that we have the potential; now, we just have to show it in the league too.
