Speaking in the immediate aftermath of the match, St. Pauli’s Hauke Wahl was clear in his assessment of St. Pauli’s performance:
“We deserved to lose. The first early goal killed us straight away. After that, our game plan didn’t work anymore.”
Wahl also pointed to Philipp Tietz as the decisive factor in the match, admitting St. Pauli struggled to contain the forward throughout:
“Philipp Tietz clearly made the difference today. We didn’t find a good way to defend him – he was involved heavily in both goals.”
Despite the frustration, Wahl was keen to avoid singling out teammates, instead stressing collective responsibility for the defeat:
“Right now, it doesn’t fu**ing matter exactly what happened or who did what. For example, I should have defended better for the first goal. There were many moments – we’re angry. But it’s pointless to point fingers at a player or a single situation. In the end, it just wasn’t enough today.”
His words reflect a dressing room aware of its shortcomings, as St. Pauli look to regroup quickly in their ongoing battle to avoid relegation.