
Friendly
02.08.25
1-1 draw and 4-0 loss for HSV in Freiburg double-header
The Rothosen played two 70-minute friendlies against Bundesliga rivals SC Freiburg on Saturday, drawing the first and falling to a clear defeat in the second.
HSV continued their pre-season preparations on Saturday (2nd August) with a double-header against SC Freiburg, who finished fifth in the Bundesliga last season. The two sides faced off in back-to-back 70-minute friendlies at SCF’s training ground next to the Europa-Park Stadion. “We deliberately chose to play another team that would really test us and operate at the level we’ll face in the Bundesliga,” said HSV head coach Merlin Polzin in the build-up. Both clubs also wanted to give as many players as possible a run-out, which led to the decision to split the friendly into two matches.
The first game was evenly contested throughout, with HSV taking the lead through a Yussuf Poulsen penalty after a handball in the box. Freiburg found an equaliser right at the death, with Philipp making it 1-1 in the final action of the match. The second encounter remained balanced early on, but Freiburg then took control and ran out 4-0 winners thanks to goals from Muslija, Osterhage, Adamu and Höler.

“We saw clear progress compared to recent weeks in the first game,” said Polzin. “It was a very compact defensive display, and we had a few good moments going forward too. The lads executed the game plan well, and overall I was very pleased with that performance – even if it’s frustrating to concede the equaliser with the final kick of the game.”
The second game, Polzin admitted, highlighted both positives and areas for improvement: “Freiburg showed us what a top Bundesliga team will punish if we’re not compact enough. At this level, mistakes at the back get punished immediately. But we also created some good attacking transitions – Otto Stange and Robert Glatzel both had chances.”
Reflecting on the double-header overall, Polzin was upbeat: “These kinds of matches are a huge help in terms of learning and development. If we can combine the defensive display from the first match with the attacking moments from the second, we’re definitely on the right track.”
HSV line-up – Game 1:
Peretz – Ramos, Elfadli, Torunarigha – Meffert, Capaldo – Mikelbrencis, Muheim – Sahiti, Rössing-Lelesiit (46’ Yildirim) – Poulsen (46’ Philippe)
Goals: 0-1 Poulsen (24’), 1-1 Philipp (69’)
HSV line-up – Game 2:
Heuer Fernandes – Schonlau, Soumahoro, Agyekum – Remberg, Megeed – Hefti, Jatta (46’ Katterbach) – Stange (46’ Yildirim), Philippe – Glatzel
Goals: 1-0 Muslija (5’), 2-0 Osterhage (52’), 3-0 Adamu (62’), 4-0 Höler (69’)