Dimitrios Grammozis: The lads were desperate for this point

The Royal Blues ended 2021 with a 1-1 draw away to Hamburger SV on Saturday (18/12). Dimitrios Grammozis and Victor Pálsson were proud of the team’s performance, which was worthy of all three points.

Dimitrios Grammozis

Dimitrios Grammozis:

It was an incredibly intensive game. We started really badly by going behind so early on. I’d like to praise the team today. The way they dominated the second half and pinned HSV in their own half by pressing them was fantastic. The scoreline is flattering for Hamburg. If we’d equalised earlier, through Darko Churlinov’s chance for example, then I believe they would have really been up against it. I’m certain we’d have won the game. They showed us more respect as the game went on and looked to sit deep and play on the break. We played brilliantly with patience and composure. It was a great performance. The lads were desperate for this point. We’re satisfied after tonight’s game, but we also know that we’ve got a lot of hard work to come.

Tim Walter:

We started brilliantly and scored with our first chance. It didn’t help us as much as it normally would do today. We still played well in the first half and only allowed them shots from distance. We then made a mistake with our first touch in the second half and that sort of continued. We weren’t brave enough in the end and invited them to win the ball from us and to create chances. A draw was the fair result ultimately. We were better in the first half, they were superior in the second.

Victor Pálsson:

We showed some real mental strength today. It’s not easy when you have so many chances and the ball just doesn’t want to go in. It’s disappointing to have not taken all three points. I’m proud of the team, it was a good performance. We’ve been improving really well and we showed what Schalke 04 is about tonight. It’s now important to enjoy our time off with our families and to recharge the batteries. We’ll come back, prepare well and then look forward to our first game next year.

Share page

You may also be interested in

220412_idrizi_jubel

Blendi Idrizi: It’s fun to be a part of FC Schalke 04

Blendi Idrizi’s eyes lit up as he stood together in front of the Nordkurve with his teammates and celebrated the 3-0 home victory against Heidenheim on Saturday (9/4). “It’s fun to be a part of FC Schalke 04. We have a fantastic team and unbelievable fans,” commented the 23-year-old, who signed an early contract extension until 2024 around two weeks ago.

220410_itakura

Ko Itakura: defender, midfielder and soon-to-be striker?

It was the moment of the match on Saturday afternoon in the VELTINS-Arena: after a pass from Dominick Drexler, Ko Itakura first cut right, then left, leaving two defenders in his dust before slotting the ball into the back of the net. The 25-year-old then wildly celebrated in front of the Nordkurve together with his teammates.

220409_bueskens

Mike Büskens: The fans played a huge part in our win

The jumbotron at the VELTINS-Arena made for happy Royal Blue reading at full time, as the final whistle blew on a 3-0 win for Schalke 04. It was, however, a much closer affair than the scoreline suggested, said both Mike Büskens and FC Heidenheim head coach Frank Schmidt in their press conferences after full time. The players in front of the TV microphones were Dominick Drexler, scorer of Schalke’s opener, and Marius Bülter. schalke04.de has all the latest reaction from the game.

heidenheim_15

57,126 fans watch 3-0 home win over Heidenheim

Another three points for the Royal Blues! 57,126 fans packed the VELTINS-Arena on Saturday (09/04) as FC Schalke 04 claimed a 3-0 win over 1. FC Heidenheim. Goals from Dominick Drexler (35'), Ko Itakura (52') and Simon Terodde (90+6') made it 04 consecutive victories since Mike Büskens took charge.