Strong and proud Pirmasens residents "drink a few beers"

They kept the big favorites at bay for a long time: FK Pirmasens, led by captain Yannick Grieß. IMAGO/Jan Huebner

Shortly before the game in the Southwest Palatinate region near the French border approached the hour mark, Dennis Krob ran towards Daniel Heuer Fernandes . The FKP striker rounded the HSV keeper with a superb skill and had the underdogs on the verge of making it 2-0. From a rather tight angle, the goal appeared empty, but Miro Muheim darted in at the last moment and cleared for a corner.

A key moment that kept the big favorite, ranked four leagues higher, in a game in which they were not only behind, but also deeply deservedly so, and by too little margin. After Krob's missed opportunity, the underdog had a massive 7-2 advantage in terms of chances. They not only walled themselves in at the back, but also repeatedly delivered effective pinpricks in attack, often with the help of the busy Marc Ehrhart, and only missed the chance to add a second goal.

This would come back to haunt HSV shortly before the end of regular time. Substitute Guilherme Ramos saved the game with a header after a corner was cleared too short, forcing the hosts into extra time, where they ran out of steam.

"It's incredibly bitter. Overall, we played a tremendous game, conceded almost nothing in the first 70 minutes, had the advantage of chances, and could have even made it 2-0," analyzed FKP captain Yannik Grieß. "They brought on a lot of size and power towards the end, and then we conceded a set piece with two minutes to go. It's just bitter."

As the center-back of the three-man defense, Grieß was not only one of the most effective sweepers and sweepers alongside Mike Andreas , but also scored the 1-0 goal from a long cross by Kevin Büchler . Despite the disappointment that his goal didn't become a golden and historic one, he quite rightly recognized the uniqueness of his team's performance.

"I'm incredibly proud of my team. What we accomplished here was phenomenal."

FKP coach Daniel Paulus

"The team can be extremely proud of what they achieved today against a Bundesliga team. We must always keep that in mind. The fact that we still created our own high-quality chances speaks volumes about our quality," said Grieß.

His coach, Daniel Paulus, was even less inclined to grumble: "I'm incredibly proud of my team. What we did here was phenomenal." Despite their dwindling strength, his team came forward again in the final 20 minutes after Ransford Königsdörffer had made it 2-1 and even had a good header to equalize shortly before the final whistle, which Heuer Fernandes deflected for a corner.

"The bottom line is: We did a lot of things right," Paulus aptly stated, adding very kindly: "HSV still didn't win the game undeservedly in the end." The final scoreline was 8-8. This, too, is a testament to the fifth-division team's outstanding performance over 120 minutes.

"We're just having fun today and drinking a few beers," Paulus said, setting the tone for the evening, adding in the style of a professional coach: "But then our daily business will continue. And that won't mean HSV at home with 10,000 spectators, but Oberwerth and 400 spectators against Rot-Weiß Koblenz."

Despite this stark contrast, the performance against Hamburg should give the FKP a lot of confidence for the upcoming tasks in the Oberliga.