Match report

1-1 – Shared spoils in season-opener

HSV began the brand new 2016/17 Bundesliga season with a 1-1 draw at home to FC Ingolstadt on Saturday afternoon (August 27).

HSV began the brand new 2016/17 Bundesliga season with a 1-1 draw at home to FC Ingolstadt on Saturday afternoon (August 27). New signing Bobby Wood put the Rotzhosen ahead after half an hour. After allowing the home side to control most of the opening half, the visitors became stronger after the break, in front of 50,107 at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg. The equalising goal was scored during another period of HSV control. Ingolstadt’s Lukas Hinterseer leveled with a strange goal (79.).

Bobby Wood opens the scoring — Bobby Wood could not be stopped as he opened the scoring with his and HSV’s first league goal of the season.

Wood scores HSV’s first league goal

Bundesliga again at long last! Was the collective thought of the 50,000 HSV fans who attended the game at the sun-drenched Volksparkstadion. Home coach Bruno Labbadia chose the same line-up which won 1-0 at Zwickau in round 1 of the DFB Cup on Monday night. The atmosphere was electric, and the home side took the game to the visitors right away with Kostic looking particularly impressive down the left wing.

The first threat however came from the visitors who until that point were pinned back in their own half. Luckily for the home side keeper Adler was on hand to turn an effort by Groß around a post for a corner after quarter of an hour. That was the first and last warning shot from Ingolstadt for some time and HSV began to dominate again. Lightning quick debutant Wood latched onto a long Adler ball before outrunning the Ingolstadt defence and coolly finishing with a low shot into the bottom left hand corner of the net (30.). It was no more than the Rothosen deserved and there were no further goals before the halftime break, even though Ingolstadt increased their effort during the final 15 minutes of the opening half.

Filip Kostic in action — Filip Kostic caught the eye and almost scored a late winning goal, only to be denied by an upright.

A post costs HSV victory

As expected the visitors emerged for the second half attack-minded, putting the home side under periods of pressure which forced them to defend with man and mouse at times. Labbadia had seen enough and brought on Halilovic, Lasogga and Diekmeier all at the same time and reverted to a 4-4-2 system, which saw his side retake the initiative almost instantly. Despite that fact, Ingolstadt managed to equalise with 11 minutes to go and what a strange goal it was.

A harmless ball into the Hamburg box by Levels looked simple to clear for Brazilian defender Cleber, who instead only found the feet of FC striker Hinterseer who easily scored at the far post from a couple of metres out. In truth the equaliser was deserved but it was a bitter blow for HSV. Kostic then advanced down the left wing again before Levels deflected his cross onto a post with Ingolstadt keeper Nyland well beaten. The referee blew for full time shortly afterwards. The 1-1 result was about right on the balance of play.

Match details:

HSV: Adler - G. Sakai, Cleber, Djourou, Ostrzolek - Jung (66. Diekmeier), Hunt - N. Müller (66. Halilovic), Gregoritsch (67. Lasogga), Kostic - Wood

FC Ingolstadt 04: Nyland - Levels, M. Matip, Bregerie, Suttner - Roger - P. Groß, Morales (81. Cohen) - Mo. Hartmann (66. Hinterseer), Lezcano (90.+1 Lex), Leckie

Goal: 1:0 Wood (30.), 1:1 Hinterseer (79.)

Att: 50.107

Referee: Fritz (Korb)

Booked: Suttner (7.), Morales (32.) / G. Sakai (32.), Djourou (89.)