Goalless draw on Bundesliga return away against Gladbach

...and almost a late winner

Both sides resumed unchanged after the break and largely cancelled each other out in midfield during the first 15 minutes. Reitz registered the first attempt of note with a long-range strike on the hour, easily dealt with by Heuer Fernandes. Moments later, the Gladbach captain came closer with a curling effort, only for the HSV keeper to tip it superbly wide. The home side’s pressure might have merited a goal at that stage, but HSV almost struck against the run of play. Rössing-Lelesiit cut inside from the left and aimed for the far corner, with Nicolas able to push his shot behind.

The game opened up in the final stages, and Polzin looked to tip the balance with the introductions of Poulsen and Dompe. The latter almost made an instant impact, firing wide with a long-range effort. HSV had the momentum late on and even found the net, but substitute Mikelbrencis was clearly offside before finishing. Gladbach had one last chance in stoppage time when fellow substitute Diks headed narrowly wide, meaning the match ended goalless. It was a hard-fought point on the road, and one that HSV can take plenty of encouragement from as they begin life back in the Bundesliga against last season’s tenth-placed side.