After scoring four goals on Saturday, Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang admitted he made a mistake in the events that led to his midweek suspension.
Aubameyang starred in Dortmund's 5-2 win away to Hamburg. After his first goal in the fourth minute, the attacker ran to his manager Thomas Tuchel to exchange some quick words.
After the match the Gabonese forward told Sky Sports about the celebration with his coach, saying: "I made a mistake, so I had to apologise."
Tuchel had left Aubameyang out of the Dortmund squad for Wednesday's 1-0 Champions League victory over Sporting and the player had to watch on from the stands.
By Thursday, several German media reports had said the Gabon international disobeyed the club's rules and travelled to Milan instead of staying in Dortmund on a day with no training in the middle of a three-match week.
Tuchel had insisted on Friday that the one-game suspension would have no "long-term negative effects," which the striker confirmed after the game.
"I already apologised to the coach and the team," Aubameyang said. "I had to help the team and the coach because there is a very good feeling between us."
Asked about Aubameyang's apology, Tuchel told Sky, "It was a nice gesture."
The forward did help his team get back on track after his side were winless in four matches in the league. His four goals on Saturday brought him level with Cologne's Anthony Modeste as the league's top scorer with 11.
"It was always clear that we wouldn't be able to achieve our goals without Aubameyang," Tuchel told journalists at his postmatch conference.
While last-placed HSV's crisis continues after picking up only two points from 10 games, the Dortmund coach was relieved to claim all three points.
"Tactics were only secondary today," he said. "First and foremost we were in desperate need for a result."
He added: "There was no alternative but to win today."
After the international break Borussia Dortmund will host Bayern Munich on Nov. 19.