Finn Porath: Moments like this are why I play football

The summer signing, who arrived from Holstein Kiel, was able to finish from a tight angle to give the hosts a deserved lead in the 77th minute. It wasn’t an accident either, as he later explained: “We spoke about it often during training this past week. Miron Muslic also told us before the game that we needed to be in position during moments like that.”

The 28-year-old knew immediately that his shot would go in. “As soon as Fürth’s goalkeeper saved Kenan’s shot, I knew that he’d left the net empty. From the outside, it might have looked more difficult than it actually was,” Porath said, having been subbed on for Adrian Gantenbein only minutes before.

Sometimes, he added, it’s the little things that end up deciding a game. “If Fürth had scored their chance in injury time, then we wouldn’t be dissecting my goal in such detail after the final whistle,” he said. The 28-year-old was naturally delighted that Loris Karius was there to make the save so that the Royal Blues had plenty to celebrate with their fans afterwards. “It’s a lot of fun getting to play with this team and for these fans,” Porath said.

The Royal Blues will be satisfied with their start to the season that’s seen them collect 15 points from seven matches. However, they aren’t taking it easy just yet. “We’ve only played seven matches,” Porath said. “And so we need to keep calm and continue to work hard over the next weeks. We’re definitely going in the right direction, which is great for our morale.” He added, “We’ve fought hard for every win so far. That has allowed us to create those moments that end up deciding the game.”