Hamburg midfielder David Jarolim admits the club were given a harsh reality check by Rapid Vienna in the UEFA Europa League last night.

The northern Germany side went into the match in the Austrian capital on a high following an excellent start to season which has seen them move to the top of the Bundesliga standings. However, a heavy 3-0 loss at the hands of Peter Pacult's side has left Hamburg with plenty to think about ahead of Sunday's league clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.

"We have got to wash our mouths out and work even harder in the coming games," admitted Jarolim. "I am sure we can be more successful in these games than we were today. We did not play well at all. We were not dangerous in attack and we left too many gaps at the back."

Defender Joris Mathijsen added that it was "a poor performance" and that the crowd had also lifted their opponents. "It's a good job we have another game coming so soon because we don't have too much time for reflection and we can prove that we can do things better," he told the club's website.

Despite the manner of the defeat, Hamburg's Europa League campaign has not been compromised, according to striker Mladen Petric. He said: "It was a bad start, but we still have five more games in the group stage to make amends."