Four times, goals, a dismissal, a penalty taken back – the duel between Hamburger SV and FC Augsburg had all of that, but no winner. In the end, the Hamburg scoreboard read 1:1 (0:1) on matchday 28 of the Bundesliga.
Thanks to the draw, both opponents retain a reasonable cushion on the relegation places; the gap to 17th Wolfsburg is now ten points. Arthur Chaves scored the opening goal for FCA (22nd minute), Ransford Königsdörffer equalized for HSV (60th), who had to play outnumbered for a long time after Miro Muheim was shown a red card in the 64th minute.
Chaves pokes Augsburg to make it 1-0
HSV, where Robert Glatzel somewhat surprisingly returned to the starting line-up after his suspension, had the first opportunity of the game: Philip Otele did not hit the ball cleanly with his side kick (3′). On the other hand, Michael Gregoritsch would have liked a penalty after Muheim’s persistent attempts at picking, but it didn’t happen (7th). The game was right at operating temperature.
Things cooled down a bit after a good quarter of an hour: Augsburg no longer gave the hosts as much space in the transition game, which meant that the possession phases on both sides were longer and less fast-paced. Somewhat surprisingly, it was precisely in this phase that the score was 0:1. After a long and seemingly harmless free kick, Marius Wolf was clearly too undisturbed on the right in the penalty area and crossed to the far post, where the ball fell from the back of Hamburg’s William Mikelbrencis to the feet of Chaves, who quickly poked it over the line (22′).
Fair play applause for Augsburg’s Gregoritsch
This of course played into Augsburg’s hands, Manuel Baum’s team was now much more defensive, so that the hosts no longer had any counterattack opportunities through their fast attackers. It took until the 36th minute before a free kick from Muheim, which was ultimately easy for Finn Dahmen to parry, once again posed something of a threat to the visitors’ goal.
Otele’s sharp finish in the 38th minute was much more difficult to save, but here too Dahmen was there and directed the ball over the crossbar. HSV now worked hard on the equalizer, which would have been well deserved: Shortly before the half-time whistle, Glatzel narrowly missed the right post with a shot in the penalty area (44′).
The first half had one more scene: After referee Deniz Aytekin decided on a free kick for Augsburg from the edge of the penalty area, Aytekin consulted with Gregoritsch, who was supposedly fouled. After this conversation, Aytekin took the free kick back and there was “fair play applause” for Augsburg’s striker. “A lot of people say that there is no respect, no fairness and no humanity in football and that was a prime example of mutual appreciation.”said Aytekin afterwards. Gregoritsch told Sportschau: “He asked me what I felt. Then I said I landed on his foot and then my foot was pulled away from me. Then he said ‘you, then it’s not a foul, then it’s a referee ball’ – and that was the end of it.”
HSV goal, HSV post, HSV red card – wild start to the second half
A few minutes after the restart, the hosts, in whom Otele had been replaced by Rayan Philippe, missed the next opportunity: Ransford Königsdörffer marched half-right into the Augsburg penalty area, got through well and shot low to the left corner – here too, the ball whistled just wide (49th). But the Fuggerstadt team also appeared dangerous in their own offensive again after a long absence: Anton Kade hit the side netting in the 53rd minute, Alexis Claude-Maurice also missed making it 2-0 by just centimeters with a low shot (55th).
The next goal of the game was definitely in the Hamburg afternoon air and after exactly 60 minutes it finally came: Muheim played to Glatzel, who laid it off from the edge of the penalty area for Königsdörffer and he nailed the ball uncompromisingly into the top left corner – 1:1.
Now events came to a head: Hamburg’s Luka Vuskovic hit the post with his head after a corner and in direct response Muheim was shown a red card when he couldn’t take a ball cleanly himself and then hit the rushing Kade on the back of his heel as he fell. Unhappy, but justified. It was no consolation for Hamburg that the free kick from the edge of the penalty area was one of the strangest of the season: Fabian Rieder slipped and chased the ball to the side at an angle that they would never have been able to achieve on purpose.
Things continue to be crazy in the final phase – Augsburg’s Dahmen is outstanding
With about 30 minutes of being outnumbered, the signs for the final phase naturally changed; the momentum that HSV had built up was initially gone. The Augsburgers now played the ball around the “Rothosen” penalty area, who threw themselves into every ball and defended passionately. In the 73rd minute, Gregoritsch should have made it 2-1 after a cross from the right with his long leg, but he only hit the post.
But HSV came close to the potential winning goal several times and ultimately even closer than the guests, who were playing in the majority: Dahmen had to parry a nasty high back pass from Cedric Zesiger with his shoulder in extreme distress and steered it onto the crossbar (83′). Immediately afterwards, Dahmen put substitute Albert Grönbaek’s long-range shot with his fingertips onto the outside post. Then there was a hand penalty for HSV, which, according to the video images, Aytekin correctly took back because Zesiger had put his arm – and after 94 turbulent minutes there was a draw that everyone involved had to deal with first.
“Both teams played very intense football. The reaction and play of our team, being there together with the stadium for 30 minutes, playing forward and trying everything to keep the game or win, was exceptionally good. That’s why we’re happy to take the point with us.”said HSV coach Merlin Polzin.
HSV in Stuttgart, Augsburg against Hoffenheim
HSV will now be guests at VfB Stuttgart next Sunday (5.30 p.m.). Augsburg’s break is significantly shorter, FCA hosts TSG Hoffenheim on Friday (8:30 p.m.).
