A youngster in focus and a clear away win in the end: SG Flensburg-Handewitt impressed in the first leg at SAH-Aarhus. The sound bites.
Aleš Pajović, SG coach: "In the end, we're happy with the result. We have a six-goal lead. In the first half plus three, in the second half plus three, that's good. We missed four or five hundred percent chances at the start of the game. That gave our opponents the chance to stay in the game for a long time. Up to the 45th minute, Skanderborg did well in the seven against six, but they couldn't see it through to the end. We had the patience in defense and did well. I'm very pleased that almost everyone played. I'm particularly pleased for Thilo. He got his chance and played outstandingly. Both at the back and up front, where he scored the goals. As they say, I'm satisfied with the first half. Next week we'll start the second half."
Thilo Knutzen, SG youngster: "It's indescribable for me right now and difficult to describe my feelings. You sit on the bench for 45 minutes and then get into the game. Until then, our performance was so-so. Our seven against six was very hard on the mind because it demands metal. Playing well up front and running back quickly to close the gaps in the defense. I was lucky that a lot of things worked out for me. That gave me new energy. SAH didn't seem to have the strength at the end. For me personally, it was my best game in an SG jersey, especially in such an important game. For me, it was the reward for all my hard work over the last few months. Everything was just right today."
Johannes Golla, SG captain: "SAH didn't make many mistakes for a long time and gave us a very difficult task for sixty minutes today. I'm proud of the fact that we showed total commitment throughout the game. At the end of the game, we played our chances well when we were outnumbered. Mentally, it was a big challenge today. It was like a home game for us again in Denmark. I'm really pleased for Thilo today that he showed what he can do. We see it every day in training. Thilo already showed what he's made of against Minden. But today he helped us extremely and played a great game. He works hard and has been rewarded. We are very happy to have him in our team. He's always realistic and a positive guy. Today you could also see how important he is for the fans. It's great to have a boy from the region and it means a lot to them. Thilo put in an impressive performance today."
Marko Grgić: "In the first half, we had problems with our opponents' seven-versus-six play. In the second half, we then made a few saves and scored important empty-net goals ourselves. As a result, we managed to pull six goals clear. I'm happy for Thilo, what he showed. We know that from training. He always bombs us in seven-on-six and annoys me when I'm defending (laughs). Today, he made successful shots from eight or nine meters and he also did very well with the penetrations. He really helped us there. This result definitely gives us a broad chest.