For the Hamburg Sea Devils, it was a great start to a new beginning. Even though the Prague Lions came in with high firepower, the Sea Devils managed to travel home with a win.

Right at the start of the first quarter, quarterback Javarian Smith demonstrated his exceptional passing skills and found Swedish newcomer and former Dragon Theodor Landström with a precise pass in the end zone.

Pulling away - staying in the game

After equalizing in the meantime, Hamburg clearly pulled away in the second quarter. New defensive back Lee Pitts ripped the ball out of the hands of an opposing player just a few centimeters from the end zone. Wide receiver Jarvis McClam took advantage of the direct counterattack and caught a pass from Smith for the next touchdown - a full 99 yards. When kicker Eric Schlomm then scored a field goal and running back Lucas Candido ran for an impressive 87-yard touchdown, the game seemed to be decided. However, two touchdowns on the part of the Prague Lions could no longer prevent the Hamburg team from winning.

First ever win as a head coach

Head coach Matt Johnson was satisfied with his team's performance afterward: "The boys finally got to prove themselves live against another team after all their work in the off-season. All the players accepted their role and took responsibility, so we've created a very good basis for the next few games. Of course, there are still a few things we need to work on, but it's fun to work on our weaknesses. We go back to Hamburg with the win behind us and a good feeling," explained Johnson, who had his first ever game as a head coach.

Is the "Brotherhood" back in Hamburg?

He was particularly pleased that the newly formed Sea Devils team harmonized so well: "It's tough to win football games at any level. That's why it's particularly nice for us here with a new team and a completely new coaching staff to have achieved what we have. Now it's time to focus on Paris next week."

Next weekend, the Hamburg team will play their first home game of the season in Bremen against the Paris Musketeers. The head coach is looking forward to the new week of training: "Paris has a lot of talent and is bringing a lot of good home-grown players to Bremen. We will try to use our strengths to take Paris out of the game as much as possible. The fans can look forward to an exciting football match. We'll do everything we can to win this game, too."