Hat trick hero Kalou exceited by Hertha potential

Salomon, you had to wait a long time to score your first goals this season.

Kalou: Yes, I'm really happy. It was fantastic today to have played from the start and to score my first Bundesliga goals this season. It was important for me. In the last games in the German Cup and against Hoffenheim I already had a good feeling. But today was just fantastic.

It's your second hat trick for Hertha Berlin. You also did it back in November 2015 against Hanover.

Kalou: Yes, it's always a good feeling to score at home in front of our fans. Three goals is fantastic. Mitchell Weiser who set up two of them also played fantastic. The whole team did well. I'm very pleased with our performance. It was important for us to win this game. We knew it's going to be a difficult game. We knew we could win, but 3-0 is a brilliant result.

You said Hertha Berlin need your goals to reach a European spot. Is this the next step?

That's the next step. Last year we showed that we have potential. We have a lot of young players, a lot of potential in the team. We only have to believe in ourselves. And if we do so, we can achieve something.

What is it like to play in front of these supporters here in Berlin?

The fans are very important for me. It was a difficult season for me so far. I went through a lot of emotions. To feel the support from the fans is amazing.

After the game you took the microphone and said something to the fans.

Yes. I feel the love. Thank you for your love, that's what I said.

Last season you scored 14 Bundesliga goals, and before this season you said you want to improve and score more. What's your goal now?

My ambition is to keep playing, and keep playing well. For sure, I want to score goals to help my team to win as many games as possible. We want to win our games every weekend. But we're thinking step by step. We want to show good football with our technical players. The season will be difficult until the end.

MM/Pascal Jochem