DFB Cup
“I think that’s not respectful of the opponent”: The last penalty annoys Düsseldorf’s coach
“”Completely inappropriate”: Düsseldorf coach Daniel Thioune
© Christian Charisius / DPA
Fortuna Düsseldorf is in the cup semi-finals after a victorious penalty shootout. After the game, coach Daniel Thioune criticized the shooter for the decisive penalty.
At the end of a nerve-wracking evening of football, the Fortuna Düsseldorf coach was happy. Daniel Thioune had previously seen his team reach the semi-finals of the DFB Cup after a 4-3 win on penalties at FC St. Pauli – a huge success for the second division club. There was only one thing the coach didn’t like: Fortuna attacker Cristos Tziolis had the decisive one Penalty converted with a lob – a so-called Panenka. The Czech Antonin Panenka put the ball in the goal in this way in the 1976 European Championship final and has since found imitators again and again.
“Completely inappropriate, I’m not a fan of it and I don’t think it’s respectful towards the opponent,” said Thioune on ZDF. Thioune said he was “incredibly happy” about the victory. “But not about the manner” of the last penalty. If Tzolis hadn’t scored, he would probably have had “relatively long ears” from him, the coach added. “Now I have to take it. Then maybe I won’t scold him.” With the win, Fortuna reached the cup semi-finals for the first time in 28 years.
St Pauli keeper experienced a pitch-black evening against Fortuna Düsseldorf
For the losers, however, the focus was on keeper Sascha Burchert. He had only caused one penalty in the game and made Düsseldorf’s second goal possible thanks to a serious mistake after a long-range shot. Nevertheless, coach Fabian Hürzeler did not blame the goalkeeper. “Mistakes happen. And I don’t blame Sascha in particular because he tried everything. I don’t think he wants to let the ball bounce, said the 30-year-old.
Burchert himself described the evening as an emotional “rollercoaster.” In the penalty shootout, the 34-year-old from Hertha BSC’s youth team saved another shot. “He’s so important to me, he has my complete trust,” assured Hürzeler and reiterated: “He gets my total support because he’s not just a player is enormously important for me, but also as a person. We will continue to benefit from his experience.”