Albert Grönbaek praises “exceptional” Fabio Vieira after breaking the ice

Albert Grönbaek praises “exceptional” Fabio Vieira after breaking the ice

Albert Grönbaek was the star of the show as HSV all but secured safety with a 2-1 win in Frankfurt. If St. Pauli fail to beat Mainz tomorrow, Merlin Polzin’s men will already confirm their place in next season’s Bundesliga.

“We needed this win,” said the Danish attacker who produced a goal and an assist in the space of eight second-half minutes. “The past few weeks have been challenging. We should’ve given something back to the extraordinary fans for how they always support us.”

The January loan signing from Rennes had only played eight Serie A and Bundesliga games before today’s clash. “I'm very happy to have scored my first goal for HSV. That's something very special. Sometimes you need a bit of luck, too. In the end, every goal counts.”

After his very first goal involvement of the season, Grönbaek assisted the winner for Fabio Vieira at the hour mark. “It's a great pleasure to play alongside a player like Fabio Vieira,” said the 24-year-old about his teammate. “His game intelligence is exceptional. You can give him the ball in any situation, and he'll make something special out of it.”

The former Bodø/Glimt player produced his best performance despite having to play in a different role. “After Miro Muheim and William Mikelbrencis were sidelined, we wanted to find a solution that would benefit our style of play. That's how the idea of ​​playing Albert Grönbaek came about. He implemented it well,” said Polzin about the decision to play him as a left wingback.

“I played in that position for the first time. I had to fight a bit in one or two situations, but my teammates helped me tremendously. Overall, I'm proud of today's performance.” added Grönbaek after the match that would boost his chances of signing for HSV on a permanent basis.