Only one HSV winner against Leverkusen: "He’ll be a key player" | OneFootball

The defeat of HSV against Bayer Leverkusen was well-deserved. In the 0:1 loss against the favorite, there were only a few bright spots for Hamburg.

One of them was definitely the 19-year-old Otto Stange. The offensive player made his second Bundesliga appearance in the 65th minute and noticeably brought fresh energy to his team's game.

"Of course, it sucks to lose," said the youngster afterwards. "It's no fun." Nevertheless, he took away some positives from the duel with the current runner-up. He is particularly motivated by the direct duels with high-caliber opponents: "It's really cool to play against such players, national players and so on. I mean, that's where you want to be. And I think it always gives you an incentive to show yourself against these people. I believe that's what I work for – to keep up and show that I can also make an impact there."

He succeeded in doing just that multiple times. Shortly after his substitution, he made a strong breakthrough on the left side and delivered a dangerous cross into the penalty area. In injury time, he even evaded three opponents but was thwarted by Leverkusen's keeper Janis Blaswich. He also set up Luka Vuskovic's huge double chance seconds before the final whistle with a headed pass. "Merlin told me to just have fun and do my thing defensively. Offensively, I have my freedom," explained Stange.

Photo: Getty Images

HSV wants to "closely accompany" Stange

HSV coach Merlin Polzin was accordingly impressed with his substitute's performance. "Otto created three or four situations today where something could always happen," said the coach, adding: "What I notice is that he still has this carefree attitude." For Polzin, it's clear that the forward still has development steps ahead of him: "Otto showed again today that he can keep up in the league – and we'll work on everything else. He's a very young guy whom we want and need to closely accompany so that he takes the next steps."

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The coach was even more explicit on Sky: "He is difficult to defend and has shown a refreshing element. For the next weeks and months, he is certainly a very, very important player."

Stange himself remains grounded despite the strong beginnings: "It was fun. I was happy to be here again. It makes me eager for more, I want to continue. I give it my all for that. And next time, hopefully, we'll win."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.