Inches away from a sucker punch

Hertha had gone a long time without a good away performance, but that came to an end in Gladbach last night, particularly in the first half. Pal Dardai’s men must now take that performance into the final few weeks of the season.

Berlin- Sometimes certain situations linger in the mind long after a game is over, particularly when it could have made the difference between picking a point and going home with nothing. This was true of the game in Gladbach, as Valentin Stocker was a whisker away from snatching a late point for the Blue and Whites. The Swiss, who fought up front all night, could only volley agonizingly wide of Borussia goal to mean the score stayed 1-0. “I will not put any blame on my team, but Gladbach deserved the win,” said Pal Dardai afterwards.

The first 45 minutes were somewhat cagey, but nonetheless very open. “The goal came out of nowhere, but the we could have defended itbetter - we were all over the place and did not close him down,” said Dardai of his eleven. Peter Pekarik and Alex Esswein both had chances to equalise - the latter from a one-on-one - before Salomon Kalou hit the bar on the stroke of half-time from a free kick. “The first half was intense,” added Dardai. “Both sides had some good sights of goal and it could have been 3-3.” Left back Jordan Torunarigha marked his first Bundesliga start by blocking a certain goal for the hosts in the opening minute. “We lost the ball in our own half and I just anticipated how my man was going to make a run and I was able to get my leg in the way in time,” said the youngster, who usually plays as a centre back.

Less intensity in second half

Unfortunately the 19-year-old wasn’t able to celebrate a fine performance come the end of the night given the result. “It was nice to play well, but we lost and that does sour the mood.” Torunarigha, along with his teammates were unable to replicate the first half performance after the break, despite giving everything they had. “Gladbach were just better in the second half, and we were lucky to not go further behind,” explained Dardai. The old football saying of a team which does not take its chances will be punished so nearly came true - or as Dardai put it: “Stocker’s chance could have been the sucker punch.

But all the “ifs”, “buts” and “maybes” count for nothing, the result meant Hertha returned to Berlin from an away Bundesliga game for the seventh straight time empty handed. “We have got to stop this run,” said Dardai. The chance to bounce back and improve on the sixth place comes this Sunday as a busy week of Bundesliga football concludes with a home game in the Olympiastadion against relegation-threatened Augsburg. “They are fighting for their lives, they will give everything but we must stay calm and take our chances,” said Niklas Stark, and if the game comes down to one moment, hopefully Hertha will have learnt to make the most of it.

Berlin- Sometimes certain situations linger in the mind long after a game is over, particularly when it could have made the difference between picking up a point and going home with nothing. This was true of the game in Gladbach, as Valentin Stocker was a whisker away from snatching a late point for the Blue and Whites. The Swiss, who fought up front all night, could only volley agonizingly wide of Borussia goal to mean the score stayed 1-0. “I will not put any blame on my team, but Gladbach deserved the win,” said Pal Dardai afterwards.

The first 45 minutes were somewhat cagey, but nonetheless very open. “The goal came out of nowhere, but the we could have defended it better - we were all over the place and did not close him down,” said Dardai of his eleven. Peter Pekarik and Alex Esswein both had chances to equalise - the latter from a one-on-one - before Salomon Kalou hit the bar on the stroke of half-time from a free kick. “The first half was intense,” added Dardai. “Both sides had some good sights of goal and it could have been 3-3.” Left back Jordan Torunarigha marked his first Bundesliga start by blocking a certain goal for the hosts in the opening minute. “We lost the ball in our own half and I just anticipated how my man was going to make a run and I was able to get my leg in the way in time,” said the youngster, who usually plays as a centre back.

Less intensity in second half

Unfortunately the 19-year-old wasn’t able to celebrate a fine performance come the end of the night given the result. “It was nice to play well, but we lost and that does sour the mood.” Torunarigha, along with his teammates were unable to replicate the first half performance after the break, despite giving everything they had. “Gladbach were just better in the second half, and we were lucky to not go further behind,” explained Dardai. The old football saying of a team which does not take its chances will be punished so nearly came true - or as Dardai put it: “Stocker’s chance could have been the sucker punch.

But all the “ifs”, “buts” and “maybes” count for nothing, the result meant Hertha returned to Berlin from an away Bundesliga game for the seventh straight time empty handed. “We have got to stop this run,” said Dardai. The chance to bounce back and improve on the sixth place comes this Sunday as a busy week of Bundesliga football concludes with a home game in the Olympiastadion against relegation-threatened Augsburg. “They are fighting for their lives, they will give everything but we must stay calm and take our chances,” said Niklas Stark, and if the game comes down to one moment, hopefully Hertha will have learnt to make the most of it.