With a dream goal from Suat Serdar, Hertha BSC heralded the decisive weeks in the relegation battle of the Bundesliga with a win.
Coach Felix Magath’s team won the basement game at FC Augsburg on Saturday thanks to a committed second half 1-0 (0-0) and left the direct relegation zone.
Serdar (49th) scored the redeeming winning goal for the Berliners in front of 28,533 spectators with his striking hack hit.
After the painful derby defeat against Union Berlin, the club in the capital draws new hope in the fight against the seventh Bundesliga relegation in the club’s history.
Augsburg, on the other hand, missed the “huge step” towards staying up that coach Markus Weinzierl had hoped for. The lead over the Berliners shrank to three points.
Magath surprisingly dropped striker Ishak Belfodil from the squad for the game. It is “against a team that is very robust. He’s a player who wants to solve things more playfully,” Magath said on Sky as the reason for his decision.
Belfodil’s place at the top was taken by Davie Selke. In addition, the coach relied on Kevin-Prince Boateng from the start. With a nearly full stadium behind them, Augsburg dominated the early stages and happily played forward.
also read
► BR volleys move into the final of the German championship
► Magath’s demand for Hertha captain Boyata
The home side’s first best chance came after a cross from Robert Gumny (11′), which Alfred Finnbogason was only able to accept with an uncontrolled thigh.
From a short distance, the ball landed directly in the arms of Hertha keeper Marcel Lotka.
As a result, the robust game expected by Magath developed with many intense duels. Interruptions instead of footballing class shaped the game. Augsburg’s Niklas Dorsch and Santiago Ascacibar collided in a header duel and had to be treated for their bleeding wounds. A bandage continued for both of them.
Both teams remained largely harmless from the game. Accordingly, a standard situation provided Augsburg’s second good chance. A powerful free kick from Michael Gregoritsch (35th) rushed just over the bar. FCA keeper Rafal Gikiewicz was practically unemployed in the first half.
That should change after the break. A cross from Marco Richter, who played a total of 97 Bundesliga games for Augsburg from 2017 to 2021, landed at Serdar, who shoved the ball through Gikiewicz’s legs with his heel. On the other hand, Gregoritsch (56.) was unlucky that his header hit the crossbar.
In the final phase, Augsburg pressed for equalization. The powerful shot from Iago (77th) narrowly missed the goal and Hertha saved their eighth win of the season over time.
