Match report
13.08.17
HSV crash out of DFB Cup
HSV became the first Bundesliga side to be eliminated from the DFB Cup on Sunday afternoon, going down 1-3 away to 10-man third division side VfL Osnabrück in round one.
HSV made the worst possible start to the 2017/18 season on Sunday afternoon (13.08), going down 1-3 away to ten-man third division side VfL Osnabrück in round one of the DFB Cup, in front of a 16,667-strong capacity crowd at the Bremer Brücke stadium. The pre-match favourites failed to capitalise even after the home side had Marcel Appiah sent off after only 18 minutes. VfL skipper Halil Savran opened the scoring on 39 minutes, before Marc Heider (61.) and former HSV man Ahmet Arslan (71.) put the game beyond the visitors. USA striker Bobby Wood scored a 74th minute consolation goal for the Rothosen from the penalty spot.
10-man VfL take lead
After a pre-season period lasting almost 40 days, Rothosen coach Markus Gisdol opted to play a tried and tested 4-2-3-1 formation. New signing Andre Hahn made his HSV debut as the wide man on the left (on his birthday). Aaron Hunt got the nod over Lewis Holtby in the number 10 position just behind sole striker Bobby Wood, while Nicolai Müller started on the left wing. After being declared as Gisdol’s number one keeper, Christian Mathenia was between the Hamburg posts.
The game was a stop and start affair early on with niggly fouls interrupting play. The Bundesliga visitors struggled to get a foothold in the game at first. Osnabrück on the other hand had already played four games so far this season and found their rhythm early on. It took 17 minutes for them to create their first chance of the game. There was then drama as HSV broke at speed and Wood was brought down by Marcel Appiah (18.). Match referee Deniz Aytekin reached into his back pocket and sent the VfL man off, giving the Rothosen a man advantage from then on.
Although Hamburg laid siege to the home goal they struggled to find any gaps in the Osnabrück defence, with Hahn (30.) and then Hunt (33.) squandering their best chances. A well-worked move by the third division hosts then led to the opening goal as Nazim Sangaré crossed into the middle where his skipper Halil Savran was lurking to open the scoring with a simple tap in (39.). Then Hahn (43.) and Müller (45.+2) missed chances for what at the time would have been a deserved equaliser. The home side led 1-0 at the break.
Markus Gisdol reacted by replacing Jung with Holtby, who lined up alonside Walace in front of the back four. HSV were visibly on top but could find no way through the well-organised home defence. Osnabrück then struck again on the break as Marc Heider made it 2-0 from close range (61.), before former HSV man Arslan toe-poked the ball home to make it 3-0 (71.).
Gisdol brought on extra firepower in Luca Waldschmidt and Sven Schipplock but all to no avail, apart from a consolation penalty converted by Wood after the ball had struck the arm of Konstantin Engel (74.). Although Waldschmidt (76.) and Holtby (77., 78., 88.), forced saves from home stopper Gersbeck there were no further goals and the Bundesliga favourites crashed out in round one just like they did eight years ago at the same ground.
Match details:
HSV: Mathenia – Sakai, Papadopoulos, Mavraj, Douglas (64. Waldschmidt) – Walace, Jung (46. Holtby) – Müller, Hunt (80. Schipplock), Hahn – Wood
VfL Osnabrück: Gersbeck – Sangare, Susac, Engel, Appiah – Danneberg, Groß, Heider (84. Kristo), Arslan – Savran (70. Reimerink), Alvarez (21. Zorba)
Goals: 1:0 Savran (39.), 2:0 Heider (61.), 3:0 Arslan (71.), 3:1 Wood (74., pen)
Booked: Savran (6.), Sangare (51.) / Hahn (5.), Papadopoulos (26.), Jung (38.)
Sent off: Appiah (18.) / -
Referee: Deniz Aytekin
Att: 16.667 (sold out)