The ‚Killer‘ is back !!! After more than ten months break, Ivan Klasnic returned to the football stage on Wednesday night – and with great success as he helped the Werder Bremen U23 reserves put FC St. Pauli out of the DFB Cup to progress to the next round. It was an extremely emotional night for the 27 year old: “It was a really strange feeling coming into the stadium. My whole body was tingling and if I hadn’t had a game to play, I would have cried”, explained Klasnic , who was deligeted to be finally able to participate in a competitive game again: “I’ve been working towards this day for many months now. I really wanted to score a goal, I’d promised my daughter but I’m happy to have been on the pitch at all”, explained a glowing striker who was full of praise for rehab-trainer Jens Beulke, with whom he has worked intensively in recent weeks.

The Croatian international didn’t manage to get his name on the score sheet but the 27 year old worked hard and allowed his talent and the danger that he possesses to flash into view on the night. It was Klasnic’s cleverly played pass that set up Kevin Schindler for the equaliser in the first half and make it 1:1. “I was a little nervous to begin with but the team really helped me and welcomed me on board”, explained Klasnic, whose colleagues were also delighted to have the star striker within their ranks: “That was a sup comeback for him. It’s unbelievable that he is back on the pitch at all”, remarked strike partner Kevin Schindler. Goalkeeper Nico Pellatz agreed: “hat fact that he is back playing is close to a miracle. He is a world class player.” The reserve coach Thomas Wolter made a deal with the striker before the game: “I promised him that if he helped up to make it into the next round that we would help him out in return. That worked out well. He made a massive step back towards professional football again tonight”, commented Wolter, whose daughter was one of the people happiest to see Ivan Klasnic back on the pitch: “She is ‘The Biggest’ Klasnic fan”, said Wolter.

Not just on but also off the pitch, Klasnic gave his all against the club with which he won promotion to the first division back in 2001. After his substitution, the striker worked the fans, again and again firing them up to get behind the Green-Whites: “Before the start of extra-time he went to every player individually with a confidence inspiring word”, admitted Nico Pellatz, who remembers one particular scene before the penalty shoot-out: “He said to me, ‘You’ll see – I bet you save two’, and I had to stick to that.”

The question as to when the Croatian will make his comeback in the first team is very much still open: “Tonight only one thing counts, the fact that we are through to the next round. My goal is of course to return to the first team. We shall see exactly what games I get to play in”, concluded Klasnic who is not counting out a cup return with the reserves in January.

John Muldoon