HSV slump to 5-0 loss against FC Bayern

Early goals and a big deficit at the break

Head coach Merlin Polzin made four changes to the side that started in the Hamburg derby against FC St. Pauli, with three players making their competitive debuts for HSV. New arrivals Luka Vuskovic (for Elfadli), Fabio Vieira (for Sahiti) and winter signing Aboubaka Soumahoro (for Torunarigha) were all named in the starting XI. The suspended Giorgi Gocholeishvili was also replaced by William Mikelbrencis. Alexander Rössing-Lelesiit started on the left wing once again, since Jean Luc Dompe, like Jordan Torunarigha and captain Yussuf Poulsen, was not in the squad due to a lack of training. The young HSV XI looked to play with courage against the German record champions, though they were briskly swept aside. Soumahoro was booked after only 40 seconds, and the ball was in the back of the visitors’ net at the three-minute mark. Gnabry produced an excellent finish to beat Heuer Fernandes at his near post and make it 1-0 (3’).

The home side seemed to have a spring in their step and, for the remainder of the opening stages, left no doubt that they were in the mood to score goals. After only nine minutes of play, Pavlovic doubled their advantage to 2-0. By that point, the scale of the Rothosen’s task was clear to everyone. Bayern let the ball do the talking and made their opponents put in the leg work, while HSV sat back and looked to hit the hosts on the break. Mikelbrencis had a chance to get a goal back out of the blue in the 18th minute, though his shot in the box was not accurate enough to cause Neuer any problems. At the other end of the pitch, Bayern compounded the away side’s misery. In the 26th minute, Kane converted a penalty awarded after VAR adjudged Soumahoro to have handled the ball in the box. Three minutes later, Luis Diaz bagged FCB’s fourth of the evening, as his shot from range took a deflection and wrongfooted Heuer Fernande (29’). HSV had never been behind by a four-goal margin at the half-an-hour mark of a match before. Nothing seemed to be clicking for the Rothosen, though they managed to prevent Bayern from adding to their lead before half time.