Königsdörffer’s struggles continue: striker shoulders the blame | OneFootball

Ransford Königsdörffer became the unlucky one in HSV’s 0-1 defeat against VfL Wolfsburg. The missed penalty marks the peak of his personal crisis.

He became the tragic hero of the afternoon in the 0-1 loss to VfL Wolfsburg: Ransford Königsdörffer failed to score from the penalty spot just before halftime, denied by the outstanding visiting goalkeeper Kamil Grabara, and thus missed the great chance to equalize. “I felt good, wanted to take responsibility,” the 24-year-old explained after the match. The striker immediately faced the interviews and explained his missed shot.

The preceding scene was clear: In the 44th minute, Konstantinos Koulierakis brought down HSV star Albert Sambi Lokonga in the penalty area, resulting in an undisputed penalty. Initially, Rayan Philippe grabbed the ball, but ultimately left the attempt to his recently luckless teammate Königsdörffer.

His shot was too weak, Grabara guessed the corner and saved. With his head hanging, the German-Ghanaian disappeared into the dressing room. “In the end, we failed because of me,” he later admitted openly.

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Teammates stand by Königsdörffer

But the team and coach stood firmly behind their striker. Captain Yussuf Poulsen encouraged him, goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes emphasized: “No one stands alone with us. Ransi wanted to take responsibility. That’s exactly what we expect.” Coach Merlin Polzin also refrained from assigning blame and praised his player’s intention. “We fully trust the guys in such moments,” he made clear.

Sporting Director Claus Costa had already backed his protégé in a halftime interview with Sky: “Ransi has scored many important goals for us in the past. So, no reproach. He took the ball, wanted to take responsibility.”

Meanwhile, Königsdörffer has been waiting for a league goal since the 6-1 promotion match against SSV Ulm. Nevertheless, last season’s 14-goal man remains combative: “I firmly believe that it will work out in the next few weeks.” Perhaps it will happen in the DFB-Pokal against 1. FC Heidenheim (28.10, 6:30 p.m.).

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