Match report

3-2 win over Union in 1,887th Bundesliga game

HSV earned an important home win against 1. FC Union Berlin on matchday 22 in a milestone game for the club. Two goals by Ransford Königsdörffer and another from Nicolas Capaldo were enough to secure all three points, despite a nervy ending.

Hamburger SV recorded a 3-2 home win against 1. FC Union Berlin on Saturday, 14th February, in the 1,887th Bundesliga game in the club’s history. HSV were the team in control for long spells in front of 57,000 fans at a sold-out Volksparkstadion. After Leopold Querfeld put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot against the run of play (28’), Ransford Königsdörffer sparked the turnaround with his equaliser (35’). Nicolas Capaldo then made it 2-1 before the break (45’+2), before Königsdörffer added his second late on to make it 3-1 (82’). Andrej Ilic’s late header for the Berliners came too late to change the outcome (89’).

Königsdörffer sparks the turnaround

Polzin made three changes to his starting XI compared to the 2-0 away win at 1. FC Heidenheim: Jordan Torunarigha, Nicolas Capaldo and Robert Glatzel came in for Daniel Elfadli and the injured Albert Sambi Lokonga and Warmed Omari. HSV began in a controlled manner and were soon in on goal several times in the opening minutes against Frederik Rönnow, but Bakery Jatta and Ransford Königsdörffer (3’), as well as Luka Vuskovic (4’), were all crucially denied from close range. After that, it turned into the patient contest HSV assistant coach Loic Fave had spoken about in the pre-match press session.

HSV had almost 70 percent possession in the first 20 minutes and worked hard to find openings against a deep-lying Union side. Fabio Vieira tried his luck from distance from the left channel, but his low effort drifted just wide of the right post (12’). Union rarely ventured into Rothosen territory until Capaldo fouled Andrej Ilic inside his own area and referee Florian Badstübner pointed to the spot. Leopold Querfeld then tucked the penalty away into the bottom-right corner to give Union a 1-0 lead (28’). HSV stayed calm – and responded immediately: Vieira carried the ball forward through the middle and found Glatzel, who played Königsdörffer in on the right side of the box, and our number 11 finished confidently into the far corner to make it 1-1 (35’). Then came a frantic spell right before the interval. First, there was a major scare at the back when Daniel Heuer Fernandes misjudged things outside his area and Ilic seemed set with an empty goal ahead of him, but Torunarigha got back to apply decisive pressure and the striker pulled his finish wide (45’+2). At the other end, Miro Muheim swung a cross into the Union box, where Jatta laid it off for Capaldo, who finished from close range for a deserved 2-1 Hamburg lead (45’+2). That was also the score as the teams headed into the break.

Two-goal cushion proves valuable

Both sides emerged unchanged for the second half, but HSV immediately had a setback as Vuskovic was booked for a challenge on Ilyas Ansah – his fifth yellow card of the season, meaning he will miss the away game in Mainz next Friday. The hosts pinned Union back in their own half, and Vieira slipped a pass through on the edge of the box for Königsdörffer, who went close to scoring again (58’). At the other end, Heuer Fernandes dealt with two headers from Ilic that lacked enough precision (63’, 68’), while substitute Tim Skarke dragged a good chance well wide (64’). Derrick Köhn, a Hamburg native, then clipped a free-kick from the right side onto the crossbar (71’). Shortly afterwards, HSV captain Yussuf Poulsen made his comeback after two months out with an ankle injury, while Jean-Luc Dompe – returning after being suspended by the club – was also brought on for the closing stages (72’).

Dompe quickly made his presence felt with a right-footed effort from the left after Remberg forced Rönnow into a misplaced pass (80’). Moments later, the Volksparkstadion erupted as Königsdörffer made it 3-1 to all but wrap it up (82’). The move went via Capaldo and Giorgi Gocholeishvili, before the ball reached the forward, who nudged it past Querfeld and finished coolly into the bottom-left corner one-on-one with Rönnow. Union pulled a goal back seven minutes later when Ilic headed home from the middle after a cross by substitute Oliver Burke to make for a tense finish, but in the end, HSV held on to take all three points in their 1,887th Bundesliga game.

Match facts:

Hamburger SV: Heuer Fernandes – Capaldo, L. Vuskovic, Torunarigha – Jatta (74’ Gocholeishvili), Vieira, Remberg, Muheim – Königsdörffer (87’ Mikelbrencis), Glatzel (72’ Poulsen), Otele (72’ Dompe)

1. FC Union Berlin: Rönnow – Trimmel, Doekhi, Querfeld, N’Soki (83’ Burke), Köhn – Khedira (75’ Kral), Kemlein (83’ Schäfer) – Jeong (61’ Burcu) – Ilic, Ansah (61’ Skarke)

Goals: 1-0 Querfeld (28’, pen.), 1-1 Königsdörffer (35’), 2-1 Capaldo (45’+2), 3-1 Königsdörffer (82’), 3-2 Ilic (89’)

Attendance: 57,000 (sold out)

Referee: Florian Badstübner (Windsbach)

Yellow cards: Vuskovic, Mikelbrencis / –