Not easy, but extremely important

Hertha ended a busy week on a high with the 2-0 win over Augsburg and moved up to 5th place in the Bundesliga.

Berlin – Right at the end of the first half in yesterday’s match with Augsburg, Referee Tobias Stieler gave a foul in Hertha’s half and retreated in the direction of Valentin Stocker, who’s nimble footwork saw him evade the official. In many ways this slightly comical incident summed up what was a lively and controlled afternoon for the capital city club. Salomon Kalou’s chested one-two with Vedad Ibisevic or John Anthony Brooks 40 metre pass showed that the Berliners enjoyed their afternoon. "The boys had a lot of possession today and remained patient when they had the ball. The man with the ball always had two or three options," said head coach Pál Dárdai.

The opening goal in the 12th minute came out of nothing despite Hertha’s superiority. The assister Stocker said, "I actually wanted to have a shot with my right foot, everyone knows I have a powerful right foot, but then fortunately the ball came to Jay," said the 27-year-old with a hint of self-irony. The attacker then capped-off a dominant first half display from the Berliners after some good work from Ibisevic and Kalou. Hertha had found themselves under a bit of pressure given some of the other results over the weekend.  "It was important to get the win. We would like to qualify for the Europa League so we have win games such as these", said Stocker, who made a big impact on the first half with his goal and assist.  

A good team performance

The second 45 minutes didn’t have as much to offer. "In the second half the game was a bit more of a battle," said Sebastian Langkamp, who defended the 2-0 lead resolutely. Augsburg didn’t have a single shot in the whole match. This was something which Head Coach Dárdai noticed: "The team defended together and played football together. That was the key." Hertha failed to extend their lead when they attacked in the second period. Marvin Plattenhardt and Ibisevic both had chances to put the game to bed. Alexander Esswein, who came on just before the end to make his 150th Bundesliga appearance, was also unable to alter the final scoreline.

Dardai needed a performance right from the first whistle but also demanded that his players respected the opposition. "Congratulations to the team. That was huge as, after three defeats, it wasn’t easy to give such a performance." Hertha can now head into the new weeks on a high and prepare to face Mainz, who themselves are on a run of five consecutive defeats. "A difficult opponent", said captain Ibisevic who demands more from his team, "If we want to achieve our goal then we need to get a win there."