Storck: Yes, it did. It's hard for me to say. I'd feared that Kazakhstan would win. Some of my players got together to watch Turkey versus Iceland. They wanted to celebrate afterwards, but it never happened…
DFB.de: …because Turkey scored a direct free-kick in the 89th minute.
Storck: Yes, it was unbelievable. The boys were distraught on the floor. I called them the next day. Looking back, I have to say that these events brought us closer together as a team. We developed a now-or-never mentality from that.
DFB.de: And then came Norway. What's your opinion on the games?
Storck: It helped us that the Hungarian football association postponed a league matchday to give us more time to prepare. It played a big part in our path to success. We had to play away from home in the first leg, which I was pleased with. I knew that anything would be possible in the return leg in front of our own fans. We also had a stroke of luck in the first game against Norway. We took what few chances we had, whilst Gabor Kiraly was superb in goal. The 1-0 win put us in a great position, but we still had work to do. Norway scored in each of their away games in the group stage, even in Italy and Croatia.
DFB.de: The opener after 15 minutes was surely a relief, then.
Storck: I knew at that point that we were on the right path. Our home crowd really pushed us forward – I'd say they carried us. It all happened like in a film. It was hard to believe it was real.
DFB.de: What happened afterwards?
Hungary are looking forward to next summer's European Championship in France. They're in the mix for the first time in 44 years thanks in no small part to German manager Bernd Storck. All eyes in Hungary are now fully focused on the draw for the group stage, which will take place on Saturday from 18:00 CET. Storck discussed with DFB.de why he'd like to stay out of Germany's path and his impressions of the dramatic play-off against Norway.
DFB.de: Mr Stock, before we talk about Saturday's draw in Paris, we should first have a look back. Your path here has been impressive, and Hungary are in the European Championship finals for the first time in 44 years. What does it mean for the country?
Bernd Stock: It's a huge step in the right direction, and not just from a sporting point of view. You can see that it's given the country a lift. Beforehand, everyone was sceptical and negative, but now there's a real sense of excitement. However, the biggest mistake would be to become complacent. Our journey has only just begun, and we need to keep going.
DFB.de: How did you experience the play-off games?
Storck: We were massive underdogs. Honestly, who would have backed us at the start? Norway are an experienced team, who did very well in a group with Italy and Croatia. Going into the final game, they were in with a chance of qualifying directly for France.
DFB.de: You had the same chance.
Storck: We were almost through as the best third-placed side. Only a certain, unlikely series of events would have been able to prevent us. Kazakhstan, who were without a win before then, had to beat Latvia, whilst Turkey also had to beat Iceland, who had already qualified.
DFB.de: And that's exactly what happened.
Storck: Yes, it did. It's hard for me to say. I'd feared that Kazakhstan would win. Some of my players got together to watch Turkey versus Iceland. They wanted to celebrate afterwards, but it never happened…
DFB.de: …because Turkey scored a direct free-kick in the 89th minute.
Storck: Yes, it was unbelievable. The boys were distraught on the floor. I called them the next day. Looking back, I have to say that these events brought us closer together as a team. We developed a now-or-never mentality from that.
DFB.de: And then came Norway. What's your opinion on the games?
Storck: It helped us that the Hungarian football association postponed a league matchday to give us more time to prepare. It played a big part in our path to success. We had to play away from home in the first leg, which I was pleased with. I knew that anything would be possible in the return leg in front of our own fans. We also had a stroke of luck in the first game against Norway. We took what few chances we had, whilst Gabor Kiraly was superb in goal. The 1-0 win put us in a great position, but we still had work to do. Norway scored in each of their away games in the group stage, even in Italy and Croatia.
DFB.de: The opener after 15 minutes was surely a relief, then.
Storck: I knew at that point that we were on the right path. Our home crowd really pushed us forward – I'd say they carried us. It all happened like in a film. It was hard to believe it was real.
DFB.de: What happened afterwards?
Storck: People were celebrating on the streets. It was two days after the terror attacks in Paris. We were obviously pleased, but our thoughts were with the victims. It was a strange atmosphere. The real joy only emerged in the days afterwards, when we realised what we'd achieved. Not just for Hungarian football, but also for the Hungarian people. We woke a sleeping giant.
DFB.de: Mr Storck, let's talk about the big event on Saturday in Paris. What feelings do you have going into the draw?
Storck: Above all, with pride. Pride about what we've achieved. Nobody would have assumed it, but we're back on the big stage of world football. I also go into it with excitement. Who will be drawn against?
DFB.de: Perhaps Germany.
Storck: Oh, no. I'd rather avoid that. I myself am a Germany fan, so I'd rather get a different country. I could also do without Spain and France; they'd be a big challenge for my inexperienced side. But we don't get to choose – we'll take what we're given, and we'll prepare ourselves for it as professionally as we can.
