Hamburger SV won the classic match at the start of the 2nd Bundesliga against 1. FC Cologne. In a duel between the two traditional clubs that was entertaining for the most part, HSV, coached by ex-Cologne player Steffen Baumgart, won 2-1 (2-0).
Man of the match was Hamburg’s Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer, who scored both goals for the visitors in front of 50,000 spectators (6th minute/35th). The 22-year-old benefited from a mistake by Cologne goalkeeper Jonas Urbig for his first goal. Linton Maina scored for FC (78th minute). “Even though we lost, we played a good game,” said Maina on Sky. “We deserved more.”
The Bundesliga relegated team, which got off to a bad start in its first competitive match under new coach Gerhard Struber, was unable to score a second goal. HSV, on the other hand, picked up the first three points on its renewed mission to get promoted. “We want to get promoted. That is a clear goal. We make no secret of it. Because there is no other option at this location,” said Baumgart.
Bundesliga-worthy backdrop for the start of the 2nd league
For the 52-year-old, it was not a game like any other – Baumgart was still the FC coach until the end of 2023. He had become a crowd favorite in the cathedral city.
While Baumgart saw a fast-paced game between both teams from the start, the atmosphere in the stands in the sold-out Cologne stadium was Bundesliga-worthy. “I think we could have sold 100,000 tickets for the game,” said Cologne’s licensing manager Thomas Kessler.
Cologne with the first chance, Hamburg with the first goal
The FC started strongly. First, Dejan Ljubicic put the ball over the HSV goal from a free position (3′). A few moments later, Hamburg’s Miro Muheim lost the ball to Ljubicic, whose cross Denis Huseinbasic was unable to capitalize on from a promising position (4′).
On the other side, a mistake by Urbig allowed HSV to take a 1-0 lead. The 20-year-old, who played on loan for SpVgg Greuther Fürth last season, was unable to hold onto an otherwise harmless shot by Jean-Luc Dompé. Königsdörffer, who played in attack in place of the injured Robert Glatzel, took advantage of the rebound.
Double pack by Königsdörffer
After falling behind, Cologne had to shake themselves off a bit; Struber’s eleven didn’t really create any compelling chances. The Red Shorts were much more straightforward: after a perfect cross from new signing Adam Karabec, Königsdörffer headed the ball onto the crossbar. He then buried the follow-up shot.
Shortly before the break, FC had a great opportunity to score. However, attacker Tim Lemperle was thwarted from close range by the strong HSV keeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes, who was superbly replacing Matheo Raab, who was suffering from pneumonia.
After halftime, the game became much more competitive. Dangerous goal-scoring opportunities were rare, which was also due to some inaccuracies on the part of both teams. Maina scored the equalizer almost out of nowhere. The final phase, with several minutes of stoppage time, was exciting.
