Kinsombi the matchwinner as Hamburg edge past Wiesbaden

Rothosen edge action-packed first half

After the extremely disappointing last-minute defeat in Stuttgart, the Hamburg coaching staff reacted with four changes to the starting line-up, the most striking of which being Julian Pollersbeck replacing Daniel Heuer Fernandes between the sticks, with the former Darmstadt 'keeper not even on the bench for the Rothosen. The game started at a frantic pace, and the home side should have been ahead after just six minutes. Aaron Hunt found Josha Vagnoman behind enemy lines, and the 19-year-old drove into the box and played a magnificent, fizzing ball across the face of goal, which somehow managed to go through the legs of Joel Pohjanpalo at the far post, with the goal at his mercy from four yards out. And the Finn was shown how to do it in the 12th minute by Manuel Schäffler as Wiesbaden took the lead with their first attack of the game. Timo Letschert gave the ball away far too easily to Dominik Franke just 20 yards out from the Hamburg goal, and the Wiesbaden midfielder played the ball into his striker, who controlled and chipped the helpless Julian Pollersbeck with his back still to goal in one effortless motion for one the most sublime finishes seen at the Volksparkstadion this season.

Having dominated the opening exchanges, the Rothosen were surprised to find themselves behind but had levelled things up within two minutes. Sonny Kittel took Timo Letschert's diagonal pass in his stride, drove inside from the left wing and laid the ball across to David Kinsombi, who took one touch to tee it up before firing the ball past Heinz Lindner in the Wiesbaden net with his left to bring his employers back on level terms with his second goal against Wiesbaden this season. A frantic opening half an hour and the Rothosen's comeback was completed in the 27th minute with Joel Pohjanpalo's third goal in four games. A hopeful, floated ball into the box from the left-hand side from Tim Leibold was left by Niklas Dams for his 'keeper who stayed rooted to his line, and the Finnish striker nipped in between to head through Lindner's legs and cap a deserved turnaround. The final quarter of the half wasn't played out with the same lightning tempo as the opening half-hour, as Wiesbaden were content to put all apart from frontman Schäffler behind the ball. The Rothosen's deficiences when defending set pieces came to the fore again, as two corners almost ended up in an equaliser for the visitors, whilst Julian Pollersbeck had to be alert to Daniel Kofhi Kyereh's rasping left-footed effort five minutes before half-time. All in all perhaps a fortunate lead for the Rothosen as referee Thomsen blew the whistle to signal the end of a first 45 minutes in which the hosts looked nervous every time the ball was played into their half.