Petersen: Not just because of that. Of course, it is not ideal to have to make the journey, but Portugal have had to do the same. We have had our own hotel in Belo Horizonte, but we will be under the same roof as the Portugal team in Brasilia. We wanted to reach the quarter-final in first place, but we did have a very strong group. I see South Korea as the dark horse of the tournament.
DFB.de: Now you will face Portugal, the winners of Group D. How do you assess your opposition?
Petersen: All of the teams that are left in the tournament have great quality, so there is no easy match anymore. If we had won the group, it still would have been a very tough match against Honduras. We need to put the good win over Fiji into perspective - the tournament really gets under way now in the knockout phase. Our match against Portugal is definitely the most attractive quarter-final fixture. Portugal have huge individual quality and play with a lot of power going forward. We need to find the right combination of attack and defence in our game and remain compact. In games like this, the little things make all the difference. Therefore, we need to defend well and take our chances.
DFB.de: Do you have the feeling that the Germany Olympic team have warmed up and gelled as a team now, after three group matches?
Petersen: We are definitely in a good rhythm. You can only achieve that by playing in a tournament. We have used the last two weeks to get to know each other and bond as a team on the pitch. Off the pitch, it is great and we are having a lot of fun together. Now that the group stage has finished, there is no more talk about the short preparation. We are familiar with each other now and we want to make it all the way to Rio.
DFB.de: Your five goals against Fiji should be a good argument for a place in the quarter-final starting line-up. How do you see things?
Petersen: (laughs) Like I said, goals are always good for a striker. But it is important to take everything into account. Davie also did a great job in the first couple of matches. With his goal against South Korea, he has contributed to our success just as much as my five goals against Fiji. We both know that there is only room for one striker in a 4-2-3-1-System, and we want to push ourselves to be our best in training.
DFB.de: And so who will play up top against Portugal?
Petersen: The manager alone will decide that. He has seen that he can rely on me and he can bring me on whenever I am needed. At a tournament like this, the competition for places is a bit different than over an entire season in club football. We know that we will need to use everything at our disposal over the course of the whole tournament, and everyone will need to pull their weight.
DFB.de: Did you ever think that you would get this chance again, seven years after your last appearance for the Germany U21s, to represent your country at a major tournament?
Petersen: Until I got the call from Horst Hrubesch, I really hadn’t thought about it. It is simply an unbelievable feeling to get this chance again at the age of 27, to sing the anthem and wear the eagle on my chest. It is a huge honour to be here and fight for an Olympic medal for my country. The young players that I am playing alongside here still have a long career ahead of them. I am also very proud to be a part of their development.
[mmc/mb]
As a striker, you will always be judged on how many goals you score. When you score five in one game, you must be doing something right - especially when you contribute to your team progressing to the quarter-final of a major football tournament. Nils Petersen achieved just that with his five goals in the 10-0 win over Fiji. The Germany Olympic team are now in the quarter-final, where they will face Portugal in Brasilia on Saturday (18:00 CEST).
Together with teammate Serge Gnabry, Nils Petersen is leading the Olympics goal-scoring table. The fans have also acknowledged this performance. In the Fan Club’s vote, the 27-year-old received 64.5 percent and was therefore chosen as the Man of the Match against Fiji.
In a DFB.de interview, Nils Petersen, who is one of three older players in the U23s squad that travelled to Brazil, explains how it feels to have a perfect day on the pitch. Newly-promoted Freiburg’s striker also talks about the upcoming quarter-final against Portugal and the characteristics of Horst Hrubesch’s team.
DFB.de: Mr. Petersen, it must be an amazing feeling for a striker to score five goals in one game…
Nils Petersen: Absolutely! You never forget days like that. I am very pleased that I was able to contribute to our great victory and progression to the quarter-final. As the final link in the chain, I was the grateful recipient of my teammates’ great service.
DFB.de: Were you thinking about the other game between South Korea and Mexico at all?
Petersen: No, we didn’t waste a single thought worrying about that. We were fully focussed from the first second and we wanted to score the five goals as quickly as possible, to secure a place in the quarter-final. We managed that after about half an hour. In hindsight, it is a shame that this didn’t get us top spot in the group, because of South Korea’s victory.
DFB.de: Is this because the team now have to travel from Belo Horizonte to Brasilia?
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Petersen: Not just because of that. Of course, it is not ideal to have to make the journey, but Portugal have had to do the same. We have had our own hotel in Belo Horizonte, but we will be under the same roof as the Portugal team in Brasilia. We wanted to reach the quarter-final in first place, but we did have a very strong group. I see South Korea as the dark horse of the tournament.
DFB.de: Now you will face Portugal, the winners of Group D. How do you assess your opposition?
Petersen: All of the teams that are left in the tournament have great quality, so there is no easy match anymore. If we had won the group, it still would have been a very tough match against Honduras. We need to put the good win over Fiji into perspective - the tournament really gets under way now in the knockout phase. Our match against Portugal is definitely the most attractive quarter-final fixture. Portugal have huge individual quality and play with a lot of power going forward. We need to find the right combination of attack and defence in our game and remain compact. In games like this, the little things make all the difference. Therefore, we need to defend well and take our chances.
DFB.de: Do you have the feeling that the Germany Olympic team have warmed up and gelled as a team now, after three group matches?
Petersen: We are definitely in a good rhythm. You can only achieve that by playing in a tournament. We have used the last two weeks to get to know each other and bond as a team on the pitch. Off the pitch, it is great and we are having a lot of fun together. Now that the group stage has finished, there is no more talk about the short preparation. We are familiar with each other now and we want to make it all the way to Rio.
DFB.de: Your five goals against Fiji should be a good argument for a place in the quarter-final starting line-up. How do you see things?
Petersen: (laughs) Like I said, goals are always good for a striker. But it is important to take everything into account. Davie also did a great job in the first couple of matches. With his goal against South Korea, he has contributed to our success just as much as my five goals against Fiji. We both know that there is only room for one striker in a 4-2-3-1-System, and we want to push ourselves to be our best in training.
DFB.de: And so who will play up top against Portugal?
Petersen: The manager alone will decide that. He has seen that he can rely on me and he can bring me on whenever I am needed. At a tournament like this, the competition for places is a bit different than over an entire season in club football. We know that we will need to use everything at our disposal over the course of the whole tournament, and everyone will need to pull their weight.
DFB.de: Did you ever think that you would get this chance again, seven years after your last appearance for the Germany U21s, to represent your country at a major tournament?
Petersen: Until I got the call from Horst Hrubesch, I really hadn’t thought about it. It is simply an unbelievable feeling to get this chance again at the age of 27, to sing the anthem and wear the eagle on my chest. It is a huge honour to be here and fight for an Olympic medal for my country. The young players that I am playing alongside here still have a long career ahead of them. I am also very proud to be a part of their development.
