Match report

HSV fight to 1-1 draw in Köln

Hamburg came away with a point from their match against league leaders Köln on Monday night thanks to a late equaliser from substitute Manuel Wintzheimer.

In the top of the table clash, Hamburger SV and 1. FC Köln were forced to share the points in a 1-1 draw when first met second on Matchday 29. Both sides started the game well and each had chances of their own early on in the game. Köln took the lead in the 26th minute through Dominik Drexler and pressed further in search of a second goal. After the break, HSV were the better side and leveled the game emphatically in the 85th minute through Manuel Wintzheimer, when the 19-year-old scored his first professional goal and secured a point for Die Rothosen.

Bakery Jatta was a constant threat on the counter attack in the first half as HSV looked to catch their opponents out of position.

HSV go behind in the first half…

Head coach Hannes Wolf, who was celebrating his 38th birthday, made four changes to the side which faced 1.FC Magdeburg on Matchday 28. David Bates and Kyriakos Papadopoulos were named on the bench, whilst Lewis Holtby (suspension) and Pierre-Michel Lasogga (adductor problems) were unavailable. As a result, Leo Lacroix, Vasilije Janjicic, Khaled Narey and Berkay Özcan made the starting XI.

However, anyone watching the game would not have noticed that Wolf had been faced with a number of selection issues. HSV started the game well and wanted to match their opponents in an intense opening phase. Both sides signaled their intentions early on as they looked to make direct impacts in the final third. However, many of the plays lacked the final pass or finish and as such, there were no clear chances for either side to make an early impact on the score sheet. As a result, the game had everything it had been expected to for a top of the table clash, but was lacking a goal. Even after the intense and fast-paced start, both sides kept their feet on the accelerator. The home side were more threatening with their high tempo attacks, but Die Rothosen’s defensive discipline ensured the scores were kept to nil. The deadlock was eventually broken in the 26th minute, as Marco Höger flicked on Johannes Geis’ corner towards the far post, where Dominik Drexler turned home from close range. The goal seemed to calm the game, and much of the resulting play came in the centre of the park with few chances at either end. As such, the first half ended with the home side in the lead.

HSV were much improved in the second half and were often a step ahead of their opponents.

… And level the game late on

HSV looked determined once again after the break. Wolf’s men remained compact defensively whilst attacking quickly upon winning possession. However, the home side defended the HSV counter attacks effectively, so the visitors had nothing to show for their improved efforts after the hour mark. As the half reached its middle, HSV came into the game even more and enjoyed more possession of the ball, looking more offensive minded. The agile Jatta was a constant danger in the Köln penalty box and had two good chances to equalise in the 53rd and 69th minutes, but was unable to convert despite his hard work. Die Rothosen continued in their pursuit of an equaliser and were eventually rewarded in the 85th minute. After a corner, substitute Manuel Wintzheimer found himself in the right place at the right time and was on hand to put the ball in the back of the net from a tight angle. Not content with just the draw, Hamburg pressed on in search of a second goal, but time got the better of them and after 93 hard-fought minutes of high-quality football, the points were shared in a 1-1 draw.

Match Statistics:

1. FC Köln: Horn - Meré, Höger, Czichos - Geis - Clemens (43‘ Risse), Drexler, Hector, Kainz - Cordoba (81‘ Modeste), Terodde (74‘ Sobiech)

Hamburger SV: Pollersbeck - Sakai (81‘ Wintzheimer), Lacroix, van Drongelen, Santos - Jung (65’ Vagnoman), Janjicic - Narey, Mangala, Jatta - Özcan

Goals: 1-0 Drexler (26‘), 1-1 Wintzheimer (85‘)

Attendance: 50,000

Referee: Robert Hartmann (Wangen)

Yellow cards: Terodde (38’), Kainz (47’), Hector (66’), Meré (75’) / Jung (49’), van Drongelen (55’), Wintzheimer (87’)