"The perfect day"

A third win in four games temporarily took Hertha to the top of the table on Saturday. Herthabsc.de gathered reaction from Marvin Plattenhardt, Niklas Stark, Vedad Ibisevic and Valentino Lazaro after the match.

Marvin Plattenhardt: We knew that it would be a tough game, but we played very good football in the right areas. We attacked well and won the midfield battle, making important and the correct plays. We were also ice-cold in front of goal and worked well in defence. It was a blow to concede a penalty again, but we reacted well to it. As soon as we conceded, we kept on saying that we wanted to play on the attack. Everyone’s striving for more now – I think people can see that. We’re fit, hungry and preparing well every week. In particular, we’re a real team and we’re showing that on the pitch.

Niklas Stark: We were strong in our tackles and played good football, and we won the midfield battle. I find it a shame that the referee didn’t have a look at the penalty decision again. I asked him very calmly if he would, but he didn’t. Maybe the penalty was a wake-up call, but we don’t have to speak about it any further. We’re very happy that Vedad got the equaliser almost immediately. In defence we were very disciplined and tactically good, switching it up and making it hard for our opponents to break us down – in midfield we have some explosive players and on the left we have Javairo, who can always conjure up a threat. At the moment, it’s working really well, and we want to keep the momentum going obviously.

Vedad Ibisevic: We enjoyed ourselves, as did the fans. I’m really pleased  for the team, but despite this win we’ve got to stay down to earth and remember that this is only the fourth matchday. Before the season we weren’t quite sure where we stood and what the young players were capable of, but at the moment it’s working really well. You can see that the young lads have brought a lot of quality into the team with them, which is improving our overall game. Everyone’s helping the tema, even those who come off the bench. We must stay on the ball and more importantly, fit. I’m really sad about Marko’s injury , but there will be more setbacks the further we get into the season.

Valentino Lazaro: Since moving here, I’ve been dying to score in front of the fans in the Olympiastadion. This being the case, I ran over to celebrate with them by the east stand as soon as I scored. Looking back on the goal, I’m pleased that it was so nicely worked. There was a moment after the game when I got goosebumps celebrating in front of the fans – what a perfect day for us. There were a couple of downsides though – we’ve conceded four penalties in four games now, despite being nearly at the top of the table. We’ve got to work on this so we can have a good chance in our next few games. The other bad thing was Marko’s injury – it didn’t look too good and hopefully he won’t be out for long. He’s a really important player for us.