"I was completely confused as to why something was disallowed. I had no idea what," laughs Prass.
Wimmer, who provided the assist, clarifies: "I was surprised because I didn't even know who was supposed to be offside. He then told me it was me. But it was clear to me that the ball came from an opponent, so there couldn't be any offside."
A goal, an "assist"
Prass, in any case, also won the free-kick in the 77th minute, which Michael Gregoritsch converted for the 2-2 equalizer.
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"At the end of the day, it's our job to try and make an impact when we come on," says the Hoffenheim man, referring to the two substitute goals.
Tough weeks at Hoffenheim
He wasn't even sure he'd be part of the ÖFB team this time. Because so far, he's had a season to forget.
"I was in pre-season for a week, then I got injured and was out for a month," he recounts. Adductor problems made his life difficult.
After his return, there was no place in Ilzer's squad. "It's well known that we don't have a bad squad at Hoffenheim, so it's not that easy to come back after an injury and say: 'Hey, I'm back, I'm playing now!' You have to understand and accept that," says Prass.
Voluntarily in the 3. Liga
His only game of the season so far was in mid-September in the 3. Liga for Hoffenheim's amateur team against SV Meppen.
"I approached the coach with the wish to play in the U23 team because I need the minutes. I believe that was received very positively, and he was pleased about it," Prass reports.
The uncertainty of whether that would be enough for a Rangnick nomination was present: "You think about whether you'll be called up. I'm incredibly grateful that it happened, because it's not a given."
Rangnick's mixed assessment
After the match, Rangnick described Prass, who was deployed in attack this time, not as a left-back as usual, as an "invigorating element."
But he also offered critical words: "The crosses were a mixed bag. And he could have scored another goal."
"That wasn't easy, but you can score it," says the player after his missed volley chance in the closing stages.
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What Prass missed
Nevertheless, the positive outweighs the negative after this match: "I am extremely happy about every minute on the pitch. You only really notice how much you miss being on the pitch when you're injured. Watching from the sidelines can be nerve-wracking."
His teammate Stefan Posch also knows this: "After an injury, it always takes a while to get back into it. Moments like today make that easier. He worked hard for this."
