From time to time there are shots let fly that have the fans in the East Stand thanking their lucky stars that the terraces are not closer to the pitch, due to the danger of serious injury...
From time to time there are shots let fly that have the fans in the East Stand thanking their lucky stars that the terraces are not closer to the pitch, due to the danger of serious injury...
From time to time there are shots let fly that have the fans in the East Stand thanking their lucky stars that the terraces are not closer to the pitch, due to the danger of serious injury should someone be struck by a wayward ball. In the 55th minute against Köln, Hugo Almeida let just such a shot fly from all of 24 meters, but the paramedics behind the goal had nothing to worry about on this occasion as the back of the net was there to prevent the ball doing any real damage. It was the icing on the cake for the Portuguese striker, who had put on a satisfactory performance, without ever really impressing. His strike was symbolic for the complete team performance.
“I would love to see him perform like that every week and score such goals. We’d be happy to keep buying new nets. Of course it would be unfair to expect that consistently but he proved today that the demands we have put on him are certainly not unrealistic. We have regularly commented on the massive amount of potential that he possesses. He’s got the pace, a powerful shot, and he’s agile enough to make a lot more of his ability. Maybe it’s a success like today that he needs to give him that shove in the right direction and inspire him to work even more intensively,” said Klaus Allofs on the Portuguese striker.
The analysis of the front man could easily be mirrored in remarking on the complete team performance against Köln: “A lot of what was done was right, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. The team proved their willingness to do things better today,” stated trainer Thomas Schaaf. Klaus Allofs added: “As far as the result is concerned everything is perfect, but there were a number of situations which should have been dealt with more convincingly, in particular in the defence. But we did battle and everyone was willing to support his team mates.”
