Christian Ilzer: “We had luck on our side at the right moments”

Hoffenheim’s coach stressed it wasn’t an easy victory at St. Pauli despite the 3-0 scoreline.

TSG Hoffenheim returned to winning ways with three second-half goals away at St. Pauli. Christian Ilzer emphasized it wasn’t a straightforward win for the visitors after they picked up only a single point in the last three matches before the international break.

“It’s not easy to win these games,” said Hoffenheim’s coach. “We had luck on our side at the right moments. Oli (Baumann) also made a very important save before the break. In the end, it was a deserved victory for us. Last season, it didn’t go well for us in Hamburg (a 1-0 defeat).”

Andrej Kramarić scored his second goal of the season after providing the assist for the opener. “The victory feels great,” said the Croat striker as he added St. Pauli to the long list of clubs he scored against in the Bundesliga.

“The most important thing today was the three points. We knew it was going to be a very difficult game, and the atmosphere in the stadium was electric.”