The capital club wins the second leg of the relegation at Hamburger SV 2-0 and thus secures relegation. HSV does not manage to return to the Bundesliga on the fourth attempt either.
Everything was ready for the big day, the HSV fans confident of victory after the 1-0 win in the first leg against Bundesliga club Hertha BSC, plus a home game and the thought in their heads: “Now it has to work out”. A number of former HSV players such as Rafael van der Vaart and René Adler crossed their fingers and sent video messages. But in 2022 nothing came of the return of the former “Bundesliga dinosaurs” to the upper house of German football.
Because Hertha BSC prepared the big promotion dreams with the 2-0 (1-0 ) away win in the second leg of the relegation came to a bitter end and thus secured relegation. Hamburg, on the other hand, has remained in the second division since relegation in 2018.
“It hurts. We imagined it differently,” said HSV captain Sebastian Schonlau on Sky television. “The boys didn't deserve it, the club didn't deserve it and the city didn't deserve it. I'm proud to my squad. But I'm just as terribly disappointed as everyone else,” said HSV coach Tim Walter on Sky.
Hamburg fans have to keep waiting for the return to the Bundesliga
Fast lead shocks HSV
“It's like a championship title,” said Hertha's leading player Kevin-Prince Boateng on Sky. “Those who are said to be dead live longer, it's the same with me.” The veteran didn't play in the first leg after a dispute with coach Felix Magath.
Magath made some changes to the line-up in the second leg. He was rewarded after just four minutes, because the Berliners had equalized the 0-1 from the first leg: Aggressive counter-pressing earned them a corner kick, which Dedryck Boyata headed into the goal to make it 1-0. It was his first goal of the season.
The Hamburgers reacted visibly shocked, gave the guests the most chances and played cautiously. Only gradually did they get better into the game. But Hertha scored the goals: Marvin Plattenhardt made it 2-0 in the 63rd minute. Berlin's Lucas Tousart also saw yellow-red in added time (90'+6').
Magath was shocked his heart club
It was already the fourth match point for Berlin: the capital club had already had it in their own hands in the final phase of the season and could have saved themselves in the last three games, but missed it dramatically late. Now the “Big City Club” just fended off the seventh relegation and the first after ten years and managed the first win after four games.
Felix Magath of all people, who won the European Cup with HSV in 1983 and was employed as a player and coach in Hamburg for over ten years, played a major role in this. “He was our savior in our situation,” said Hertha's sporting director, Freddi Bobic, on Sky. “He did something extraordinary. He got the team together. We are grateful to him.”
Head coach Magath wins with Hertha against his heart club HSV
His unlucky predecessors this season, Pal Dardai and Tayfun Korkut, failed to bring calm to the club around investor Lars Windhorst. Hertha started out in the league with great ambitions, but lost the first three games and wore out the coaches. Now Magath has averted the “worst case” – he himself has never been relegated anyway. “My job is over now,” he explained after the final whistle. “I'm glad and happy that we stayed in the league.” In seven Bundesliga games, the Berliners managed two wins and one draw with four defeats under Magath's direction.
Hamburg also fails in the fourth attempt
Unrest, power struggles – we know that in Hamburg too. But in the last few months things have calmed down in the Hanseatic city with coach Tim Walter and things have been steadily improving since Easter. Most recently, HSV celebrated five wins in a row, which finally brought it into relegation – and thus one step further than in the past three years, when it was only enough for the bitter fourth place.
And So the trend in relegation remains: In the previous 23 duels between the third in the 2nd division and the third from last in the Bundesliga, which took place from 1982 to 1991 and then again from 2009, the first division usually had the better end for themselves . With this year's relegation, the Bundesliga team stayed in the upper house a total of 18 times, the outsider only prevailed six times and rose. And although it didn't work out for the second division team this year either, the fans celebrated their HSV after the final whistle – with tears in their eyes.