On Sunday, the HSV welcomes Karlsruher SC in the Volksparkstadion. The duels are often shaped by emotions-this is particularly due to the 2015 Bundesliga relegation.
Otto Rehhagel once got to the point: “Football remains a game of imponderables. Something can always happen within a few seconds.” This is exactly how the HSV kept the HSV alive on June 1, 2015 in the Bundesliga relegation-and tore the second division club Karlsruher SC Brutal from all promotion rooms.
The Badeners already had their promotion shirts at hand next to the bank. “I think it’s time for us to park the clock,” said KSC defender Philipp Max confidently before the relegation-a top against the famous Bundesliga clock in the Hamburg Volkspark Stadium. Hamburg’s sports director Peter Knäbel, on the other hand, was grateful that the HSV “can turn this extra round again”. In the first leg, the KSC set the tone, but left the best chances. Bruno Labbadia’s “Rothosen” with difficulty saved a 1-1.
The “Dino” from Hamburg had to win the second leg. Motto: everything or nothing. The wildlife park was sold out with almost 28,000 fans, in Hamburg 15,000 HSV supporters were with the stadium. The descent has never been so close. But what followed was a dramatic showdown for the history books.
The HSV presented itself as courageously and aggressively as it was rarely before in the entire season. The KSC mainly focused on dangerous counterattacks and a safe defensive. That worked out: Rafael van der Vaart, Pierre-Michel Lasogga, Ivica Olic and Ivo Ilicevic had numerous options in the first 60 minutes, but they did not score a goal.
Then Karlsruhe came into play better and better: Daniel Gordon headed just over (63.), Marcelo Diaz saved on the line against Manuel Gulde (69.). After 72 minutes, Reinhold Yabo came into play – and hit 1-0 just six minutes later. Now the HSV lacked a goal to reach the extension at all. In the ranks in the wildlife park, exuberant party broke out: you were only a few minutes away from the climb. The Badeners even had their promotion shirts next to the bank.
The KSC led 1-0 up to the 90th minute. Then referee Manuel Gräfe whistled a supposed handball between Jonas Meffert – a clear wrong decision. “You can’t eat as much as you want to throw when you see it,” KSC sports director Jens Todt raged later at Sky. Marcelo Diaz used the due free kick ice cold: he hit the left angle from 18 meters. 1: 1. The HSV lived – a world collapsed at the KSC.
“Diaz Schlenzt. Tooooooor! Tooooooor! Tooooooor for the HSV!”, NDR-90.3 reporter Lars Pegelow shouted into the radio microphone. “You think you have experienced everything? You have never experienced anything if you haven’t followed the HSV today and in recent years,” he summed up shortly afterwards.
The emotional compensation inspired the HSV. The KSC seemed beaten. Nicolai Müller scored in the 115th minute to 2-1, shortly before the end René Adler parried a penalty from Rouwen Hennings. Then the final whistle – the dino lived on. In the Volksparkstadion, a loud vocals dominated: “Never 2nd league, HSV!”. In Karlsruhe, HSV-Retter Müller said: “There is nothing cooler than Bundesliga.” Almost hero Yabo summed up: “It feels like someone had torn our hearts out.”
However, the HSV should not recover from the relegations in 2014 and 2015: In May 2018, the “Dino” descended into the second division after a grueling permanent survival battle. HSV and KSC have met there regularly since 2019 – and every duel is still charged with the emotional memories of June 1, 2015.