This was no ordinary game for Hamburger SV goalgetter Mladen Petric. The Croatian international lined up on Saturday against Borussia Dortmund, facing off against players who until shortly before the start of the season had been his teammates.
Before kick-off there was time for a round of backslapping with his erstwhile colleagues, a chat with compatriot Robert Kovac and a big hug for BVB sporting director Michael Zorc.
All the cordiality was put aside come kick-off time however, as Petric showed just why he is Hamburg's hottest article up front at the moment. After putting the hosts one up he laid on the second for Ivica Olic as HSV ran out 2-1 winners.
bundesliga.de caught up with Petric after the final whistle.
bundesliga.de: One goal and one assist. How do you feel in the wake of the duel with your former teammates?
Mladen Petric: It was a special kind of game. I was very happy to see them all again. And it was really nice to run out with a win today.
bundesliga.de: Your national team colleague Robert Kovac was your direct opponent when you scored. Did it work to your advantage that you perhaps knew his weak points?
Petric: It was a corner and a bit of pushing and pulling inside the box is par for the course. We both shoved each other a bit, the ball came in and I just got to it first. And there it was in back of the net.
bundesliga.de: 2-0 up at half time it looked like HSV were coasting. Why did you let it become such a close affair in the end?
Petric: I think we were the better side in the first half. After the break it was the other way round, Dortmund were the stronger. When you concede a goal right at the start of the second half, it can be tricky. Your opponents get a new lease of life. Dortmund threw everybody up front and went for broke. But I think we held our shape well. We just didn't manage to get enough quality balls out of defence and hit them with a third on the break.
bundesliga.de: What can we expect from Hamburger SV in the months to come?
Petric: That remains to be seen. Hopefully we can improve our away form for starters. We've got to be more physically assertive to allow ourselves to get into games.
bundesliga.de: And how do you reckon your former club Borussia Dortmund will fare?
Petric: Dortmund will establish themselves in the top third of the table, I'm sure. They're definitely going to finish higher than last season. You could see that they're a good side, who play excellent football.
Interview: Thanh Nguyen / translation Angus Davison
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