Herrlich: “It was a victory through sheer will power”
Views on the Union game
First Team
23.01.2021, 19:06
FC Augsburg got the second half of the season underway with a 2-1 victory against 1. FC Union Berlin. “We had luck on our side in two key moments,” admitted head coach Heiko Herrlich following the match.
Florian Niederlechner: “I was very happy after this game because I haven't had the easiest time lately. I wanted to help the team but I didn't succeed in scoring many in the first half of the season. After the Bayern game, I put the first half of the season behind me and swore to see the Rückrunde as a fresh start. I'm delighted that I was able to score twice and help the team today. I'm very proud of all of the boys and the way that we fought against a very good Union side.”
Jeffrey Gouweleeuw: “It wasn't our best game today, but our fighting spirit was outstanding. I'm very happy for Flo Niederlechner and Rafał Gikiewicz who both played a major role in the victory today. We were all there for each other today and that's what makes us a good team.”
Rafał Gikiewicz: “We didn't get off to a good start today, but we still managed to score. In games like this you have to play with your heart and not your head. I'm especially happy for Flo for netting a brace. Ingvartsen put his last penalty to the left so I chose to dive the other way and managed to save it. I write down all of my goals for the season on my fridge and one of those was six points against Union, so it feels great to have achieved that.”
Heiko Herrlich: “We are all delighted with the victory, it was a victory through sheer will power. You could really see why Union are where they are in the table during the early stages of the game. They let us run and we didn't manage to break them down through pressing. When we had possession, we gave the ball away too quickly, but André did a great job to find Flo for the opener. Once we were ahead we played with more confidence and calmness. The equaliser was a shame because it was unnecessary. Immediately after the interval, Flo was in the right place and put us in the lead again. I don't think the penalty was a penalty but it was a great save from Rafał. Union piled on the pressure towards the end but we rode our luck a bit and came away with the three points.”
Urs Fischer: “Congratulations on the victory to Heiko and his team. I do think that it was a lucky win for them when you look at the full game though. We started well and had the game under control. Then we went behind out of nowhere, which we didn't defend well against. After that, it was an even game and my team showed what they are made of. Following the interval, Augsburg were very aggressive and played out the victory well. We tried to get back into it but we didn't manage it. It was a tough game today against a compact opponent and we didn't have enough solutions to break them down.
