"The next few days at the hotel won’t be too bad..."

The goalless draw against Köln was Hertha’s eighth game without defeat, but more importantly it also secured Bundesliga safety for Hertha with a game to spare. A season full of challenges, setbacks and even a full team quarantine has ended on something of a high note. “We are obviously really delighted, overjoyed. When we had to go into quarantine, there were plenty who wrote us off and didn’t expect anything of us,” said Alexander Schwolow. His teammate Santiago Ascacíbar summed his thoughts up in a similar fashion: “This season was tough for all of us. We are just happy that together we have managed to end it in a good way.” We sum up the match reaction as Hertha confirmed their place in the 2021/22 Bundesliga.

Alexander Schwolow: We are obviously really delighted, overjoyed. When we had to go into quarantine, there were plenty who wrote us off and didn’t expect anything of us. It was absolutely brutal for us to have to sit at home while our opponents picked up wins. And then after that we had five games in 12 days – crazy! Luckily we can stand here now and say that we’ve done it. Maybe there wasn’t anything more in this game but 0-0 is fine considering our schedule and the absences we had. Our coach is said to have a weakness for cigars. The next few days in the hotel won’t be too bad, that’s for sure... (grins).

Niklas Stark: After the final whistle, I first had to ask whether we’d actually done it. I wanted to see it in black and white. We put a lot of work into this and had to leave our egos at the door to give everything for the team. During the quarantine we developed a real spirit with the motto “now more than ever.” We grew closer together. It was already great to play in this team and now we can stand here and be proud of ourselves. It doesn’t really matter how we’ve played recently – we didn’t have to play well, just get points. And we’ve done it! I could hardly bear to watch on from outside and so it was better when I got on the pitch. I could at least do something rather than just sitting around watching the boys fight and give everything. Everyone can be proud of themselves and of the team. 

Santiago Ascacíbar: It was an extremely demanding match! We knew that we would need at least a point and we are really, really happy to have fought our way there. The delight we’re feeling is huge! This season was tough for all of us. We are just happy that together we managed to end it in a good way, and I’m glad I was able to help.