HSV embarrassed themselves to the bone against VfL Osnabrück for the second time this season. On Sunday (March 3rd, 2024), despite having the majority in the final phase, Hamburg also lost the home game against the bottom of the table in the 2nd league with 1:2 (1:1). In the first half of the season, the “Purple-Whites” won with the same result.
It was HSV’s first defeat in the second game under its new coach Steffen Baumgart. And considering an overall disappointing performance, it wasn’t undeserved. Lukas Kunze (6th) and Michaël Cuisance (89th, penalty) were successful for Lower Saxony. Robert Glatzel had meanwhile equalized for the home team with a penalty (45th + 2).
Osnabrück’s Maxwell Gyamfi was shown a yellow-red card in the 76th minute. “We have to admit that we had a lot of possession of the ball, but didn’t create many chances. That was simply not enough,” said Glatzel in the NDR interview.
Koschinat: “We achieved a great victory”
Due to the surprising defeat, the Hanseatic League missed out on displacing Holstein Kiel (which had already drawn 2-2 at Hertha BSC on Friday) from second place in the table. “If you want to bring the quality that the team has onto the pitch, you have to start with passion. And we didn’t do that”criticized Baumgart: “In many small situations there is simply a lack of precision and a bit of a lack of self-confidence. And that is clearly my job, to get the boys to play with more self-confidence.”
Hendrik Lückhoff, Sportschau, March 3rd, 2024 3:30 p.m
As great as HSV’s frustration was, the guests’ joy was equally great. VfL reduced the gap to relegation place 16 to six points and can now – at least quietly – dream of staying in the league again.“We scored a big win for our goal of working our way towards the non-relegation places. We needed a big win like this to achieve this goal. I think that will give the team a lot of strength.”explained Osnabrück coach Uwe Koschinat.
Half-time frustration at Baumgart
His assistant coaches and the players had already disappeared into the belly of the Volksparkstadion after the half-time whistle, and Baumgart was still standing in front of the substitutes’ bench. First, the trainer took a few strong sips of water. Then he put his hands over his face and rubbed his eyes a few times. The 52-year-old was clearly dissatisfied with his team’s performance. And in these moments Baumgart was probably looking for solutions that he could give his protégés for the second half.
Michael Maske, Sportschau, March 3, 2024 4:19 p.m
What he had seen before couldn’t be to his liking. Because HSV’s performance in the first 45 minutes was at most like the carbon dioxide content of its water: medium.
HSV plays without ideas – Kunze gives VfL the lead
The hosts found little or no solutions in possession of the ball against the Osnabrück team, who were very compact defensively and had grip in duels. The Hanseatic team repeatedly found themselves stuck in the multi-legged VfL defense. Attempts to achieve success with long balls also failed. The promotion candidate did not create a single scoring opportunity from the game before the break. This also applied to the guests. However, no football delicacies were to be expected from the bottom team.
The “Purple-Whites” were also able to concentrate on defending because they had taken the lead early on. After a free kick from Cuisance from the left half of the field to the far post, Kunze was able to put the ball in the goal completely free-standing. Keeper Matheo Raab was powerless when the midfielder finished – and was probably surprised that those in front of him had completely lost sight of the 25-year-old.
Glatzel equalizes with a penalty
The VfL lead was not in serious danger until the 34th minute. Then captain Sebastian Schonlau narrowly missed making it 1-1 after heading a corner kick. It was Hamburg’s only and best chance until shortly before half-time, when Immanuel Pherai entered the penalty area, actually pushed the ball too far forward, but then was lucky that Osnabrück’s central defender Gyamfi let it jump over the blade. Glatzel – until then a foreign body in the Hamburg game – certainly converted the penalty to equalize.
HSV outnumbered in the final phase
HSV came out of the locker room more energetic and had a great chance to take the lead seven minutes after the restart through Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer. But the winning goal scorer from the Elversberg game couldn’t get his close-range header into the goal. Because the 22-year-old was rather unfortunate in this situation, Baumgart soon replaced him with Jean-Luc Dompé (58th).
The Frenchman then provided a little more pressure than his predecessor in the left wing position. However, the 28-year-old was also unable to make a decisive impact. This was also due to the fact that VfL continued to defend in a very disciplined manner and shift cleverly. There was hardly any room for the people of Hamburg. And they rarely got speed and depth in their offensive actions. Even with the majority – Gyamfi saw yellow-red (76th) – and after Baumgart sent a second center forward in Andras Nemeth onto the pitch (81st), the attacking performance didn’t get any better.
Cuisance makes Osnabrück cheer
Almost nothing came together at the front – and at the back the Baumgart team made a second mistake: Ignace van der Brempt tripped up substitute Robert Tesche, Cuisance converted the penalty into the winning goal for the bottom team – the sensation was perfect. “We didn’t manage to be there right from the start, to get the willingness on the pitch that we had against Elversberg. That just took too long. And then we were punished at the back.”summed up HSV captain Sebastian Schonlau in an ARD interview.
