Hamburg coach Thorsten Fink said only the result of yesterday's northern Germany derby with Werder Bremen had disappointed him after his side lost 3-1.

The performance of his team, on the other hand, was only confirmation that the club is on the right path since the former FC Basel coach took charge last November.

"When you lose a derby, of course you are not happy, but I was satisfied with the overall performance of my side," he said.

"It was a hot-blooded derby and my team fought hard, had chances, but unfortunately made mistakes moving forward. We were then punished because Werder took their chances well and deserved to win."

Victory yesterday would have taken Hamburg as high as eighth in the Bundesliga table, which is why Fink suggested that defeat will at least keep the expectations lower and, in his eyes, more realistic.

When you lose a derby, of course you are not happy, but I was satisfied with the overall performance of my side.
Thorsten Fink, Hamburg coach

He took over a side which was rooted to the foot of the Bundesliga and his target has never been a place in Europe next season.

"We want to get into mid-table and my team is heading in the right direction for that," he said on the club's website. "We will always have to look over our shoulders, but we look ahead optimistically to reach our goal of a place in the top ten."

Werder may have spent much of the game on the defensive, but their coach Thomas Schaaf says their game plan worked wonders.

"I am delighted with this win," he said. "It was totally deserved. The team followed the tactical orders to the letter.

"We were not perfect for 90 minutes, but we were [perfect] for far longer than we have been in recent weeks. Everything was clearer, more secure when we gained possession and that was what proved decisive today."