Lasogga: 'I was desperate to help HSV stay up'
Fürth - It was a tale of starkly contrasting emotions at the Trolli Arena following Sunday's relegation play-off second leg between Greuther Fürth and Hamburger SV.
Hamburger SV
Stephan Fürstner's second-half equaliser following Pierre-Michel Lasogga's opener ensured a nail-biting finish in Franconia, but Hamburg survived a late Fürth onslaught to remain the only ever-present club in the Bundesliga's 51-year-history. bundesliga.com rounds up what some of the players had to say after the final whistle...
Pierre-Michel Lasogga: I was desperate to help HSV survive in the Bundesliga. I've struggled with injuries these last few months, but I've managed to rediscover the sort of form I was showing before I got injured. The most important thing is that we've managed to stay in the league. The team played brilliantly today. Fürth put us under a lot of pressure after the equaliser, but we hung on in there and we're delighted to be in the top flight next season.
Heiko Westermann: We've had our fair share of injuries this season, but we've always come back fighting. I'm not sure if I can cope with another season like this one. Our fans have been amazing this season and I'm delighted for everyone at the club. I think HSV belong in the Bundesliga and it would have been a travesty if we'd become the first Hamburg team to drop into Bundesliga 2. Fürth are a great club and I'm sure they'll be pushing for promotion next season.
Jaroslav Drobny: I was a little bit lucky with the saves I made, but we played very well. Compliments to Fürth, they put in a great performance, but we're delighted to have survived. We spoke after the game [on Thursday] about how we could improve and I think we were a lot better today.
Greuther Fürth
Stephan Fürstner: It's incredibly disappointing. We threw everything at Hamburg over the two games and were confident of going up, but it wasn't to be in the end. I can't fault our efforts, we gave everything and fought right until the end. We just have to start afresh next year.
Wolfgang Hesl: I'm lost for words. I thought we were the better team over the two games. We fought so well but we just didn't have that little bit of luck at the end. The fans also gave their all for us today, but unfortunately it wasn't to be.
