Match report

HSV lose 1-0 at home against Leverkusen

In a rearranged fixture from matchday 17 of the Bundesliga season, Hamburger SV fell to a 1-0 defeat against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Christian Kofane scored the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute.

On Wednesday evening (4th March), Hamburger SV lost 1-0 to Bayer 04 Leverkusen in their rearranged fixture from matchday 17 of the Bundesliga season. The 57,000 spectators at a sold-out Volksparkstadion first witnessed a first half where both sides struggled for chances, before the visitors took the lead through Christian Kofane in the second 45 (73’). Then, Luka Vuskovic spurned two massive chances to get back on level terms just before the final whistle, with his first effort being saved by B04 keeper Janis Blaswich and his second hitting the woodwork.

Dearth of chances in first half…

Head coach Merlin Polzin made five changes to the line-up that succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of RB Leipzig three days ago. Warmed Omari and Daniel Elfadli returned to the starting XI in place of the injured Nicolas Capaldo and the suspended Miro Muheim. Bakery Jatta, Giorgi Gocholeishvili and Rayan Philippe also replaced Jordan Torunarigha, William Mikelbrencis and Philip Otele.

The game got off to a quiet start until the visitors had two big chances in quick succession. Montrell Culbreath saw his close-range header go just wide of the post (8’), before Martin Terrier hit the bar (13’). Shortly afterwards, referee Sören Storks awarded a penalty to Leverkusen but quickly reversed his decision after a VAR check, as Nicolai Remberg was shown to have fouled Ibrahim Maza outside of the box (15’). After that, the Rothosen sat back as much as possible in the hope of hitting B04 on the counter and closed ranks to limit the space available to the opposition. However, clear-cut chances were few and far between for both sides. Around the half-an-hour mark, head coach Polzin was forced into making an early change. The evening was over for Jatta, with Mikelbrencis taking his place on the pitch. After the winger’s substitution, the game remained uneventful up until the half-time whistle, despite Bayer 04 Leverkusen showing more tactical prowess and appearing the more likely of the two sides to break the deadlock.

…and a late decider

Both sides emerged unchanged from the dressing rooms for the second half, which started in the same manner as the first with two big chances. First, Edmond Tapsoba found himself unmarked in front of Heuer Fernandes as Alejandro Grimaldo swung a cross into the box. However, the defender headed the ball straight into the Rothosen number one’s arms (54’). Then, a long throw-in from Mikelbrencis led to chaos in the box, before the ball eventually fell to Remberg. The midfielder lined up a shot from close range but saw his effort saved by Blaswich (55’). For the most part, Leverkusen continued to set the tone which led to them finding a gap in the HSV backline in the 73rd minute. From the edge of the box, Ibrahim Maza played Christian Kofane through on goal, and the striker produced a powerful finish into the bottom corner to make it 1-0 to the away side. Following the opener, Garcia almost scored an own goal, after Otto Stange drove into the box and played a low, driven pass across the face of goal (76’).

The homegrown substitute was at the centre of the action on two further occasions as the game entered the closing stages. At the start of the six-minute period of added time, he got a shot off with the outside of his boot, forcing Blaswich into making a stunning save to keep his side ahead. In the final minute of the match, he then threw himself into a tackle in opposition territory following an aerial duel. As a result, the ball landed at centre-back Vuskovic’s feet who was essentially playing as a striker in the dying embers of the game. The 19-year-old had two huge chances in quick succession to equalise for his side, first being denied by Blaswich from close range, before his header on the rebound hit the bar (90+8’). The Rothosen’s defensive leader made his disappointment clear following the missed opportunities, kicking the post several times out of frustration, well aware that a second loss on the trot was all but certain by that point. In the end, Leverkusen deserved to win, even though Vuskovic almost rescued a point for HSV with a sucker punch at the death.

Match stats:

Hamburger SV: Heuer Fernandes – Omari (65' Torunarigha), L. Vuskovic, Elfadli – Jatta (29' Mikelbrencis), Fabio Vieira, Remberg, Gocholeishvili – Königsdörffer (80' Sambi Lokonga), Downs (65' Stange), Philippe (65' Dompe)

Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Blaswich - Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba - Palacios, Aleix Garcia, Culbreath (80' Poku), Maza (89' Fernandez), Terrier (70' Tillmann), Grimaldo - Kofane

Goals: 0-1 Kofane (73')

Attendance: 57,000 (sold out)

Referee: Sören Storks (Ramsdorf)

Yellow cards: - / Garcia, Palacios