HSV lose 1-0 in Paderborn

Hamburg get off to a poor start…

HSV head coach Steffen Baumgart had to do without the suspended Meffert and injured Pherai in Paderborn. Van der Brempt returned at right-back, with Reis joining Suhonen in midfield as a pair of eights who would look to get forward at every opportunity. But there were not too many attacking opportunities from a Hamburg perspective in the early stages, with the hosts immediately seizing control of the game, playing the ball forward and having the first chance of the game through Bilbija. His fellow attacker Kostons then put the hosts ahead in the seventh minute, carrying the ball past Muheim on the right-hand side after a long ball, before smashing the ball into the roof of the net at the near post. Paderborn remained on top, with Kostons and Obermair missing further chances in the first fifteen minutes before HSV worked their way into the game and looked more comfortable against an opponent who let HSV come forward before looking to attack on the counter. The Rothosen managed to prevent most of these counters, but it took until the 36th minute before a first sight of goal against SCP’s compact 5-1-3-1 formation, with Dompe’s shot just wide of the right-hand post. This was followed by two more incursions into the penalty area, but both times crosses narrowly missed their targets in the middle. As a result, HSV went in at half time with plenty of room for improvement and a 1-0 deficit, despite vocal support from the travelling fans.