After the third home win without conceding a goal in eight days, the Hertha BSC professionals enjoyed the walk into the East Curve. The famous "HaHoHe" echoed repeatedly through the Berlin Olympic Stadium. "It feels good," said coach Stefan Leitl.
The 2:0 (2:0) win in the high-risk game against Dynamo Dresden boosted Hertha's hopes of a successful season, while their opponents from Saxony are in danger of slipping to the bottom of the table in the 2nd Bundesliga after just one win from eleven games.
"Difficult to cope with"
"We were all aware that the season would be difficult. Nevertheless, it's very disappointing now," said Dresden captain Niklas Hauptmann. "It's hard to take when you see what black and yellow has come along."
The 20,000 Dynamo fans, who at times created a home match atmosphere in Berlin's Olympic Stadium, were united - albeit under the watchful eyes of several hundred police. Overall, the match, which was classified as a high-risk match, remained calm in the stands after the police had prevented an impending confrontation before kick-off.
Leistner pays special tribute to Dresden's former coach
On the pitch, Dresden lacked a lot against the confident home side. The 1-0 win against Fortuna Düsseldorf on Saturday last week and their progress in the DFB Cup on Tuesday with a 3-0 win against SV Elversberg had given the Berliners an additional boost. "Playing to nil gives us confidence because we can score in every game," Leitl emphasized.
Against Dynamo, Michaël Cuisance scored in the 13th minute and captain Fabian Reese (45.+2) from the penalty spot in front of 70,914 spectators. Dresden-born Toni Leistner also put in a strong defensive performance - he couldn't resist a little verbal jab after the match: "Many greetings to all the coaches in Dresden who didn't want me." In Berlin, he is one of the absolute key players.
Sugar and whip from the Berlin coach
"I thought we played incredibly well in the first 20 minutes," said Hertha coach Leitl, praising his entire team. He also emphasized that the second half was very, very confident.
However, when asked on Sky whether things would be a bit more relaxed after such a week, he replied: "No, why? They get enough sugar from me, the whip has to come out now and again." At some point, a certain normality would have to return, so that they would win games. Because, according to Leitl: "We still have some way to go." With 17 points, his team is currently in the upper midfield - with an upward trend.
Dynamo can only dream of that. "It hurts today," said Hauptmann: "We urgently need a sense of achievement." Next Friday, 1. FC Nuremberg comes to Dresden.
A win would also calm the discussions surrounding the coach somewhat. He tries to give his best every day, emphasized Dresden coach Thomas Stamm, but also pointed out the usual mechanisms of soccer. When asked whether Stamm was still the right coach, captain Hauptmann replied without hesitation: "Absolutely."
The match in Berlin was accompanied by a large police presence. Several hundred officers were deployed on the big soccer day. Just over half an hour after the final whistle in the west of the capital, the Bundesliga match between Hertha's city rivals 1. FC Union and SC Freiburg kicked off in Berlin-Köpenick.
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