Hertha's Klünter breathes exasperated sigh of relief: "We almost cried afterwards."
Hertha's first win since January 2nd brought out some emotion in post-match interviews. Head-coach Pal Dardai, defender Lukas Klünter, and captain Niklas Stark spoke to reporters after the comeback victory.
Dardai revealed that he feared a disastrous start after observing a very poor training session on Friday. Speaking to reporters afterwards, the long-time club man let the public into his locker room by divulging some details of his half-time team talk.
"[I said] Guys, it's not going to get any worse," Dardai relayed, "It's bad enough as it is. [I called for] more risky and aggressive play."
After Krzysztof Piatek equalized near the hour-mark, the Hertha trainer made a pretty huge statement by bringing on Dodi Lukebakio three minutes in later in search of the win. Dardai commended his team for continually "investing" themselves to gain all three points.
Emotions ran high among two players interviewed. Defender Lukas Klünter seemed the most moved.
"What a weight has been lifted off our shoulders," the 24-year-old told said afterwards, "We almost cried afterwards because the last few weeks have really been that bad for us."
Captain Niklas Stark also conceded that he "couldn't put into words" his feeling of relief.
The result puts "die alte Dame" three points clear of the relegation playoff place. With ten fixtures remaining, however, the capital city club is hardly out of the woods yet.
Dortmund comes next.