First team
07.05.24
Rothosen rearguard looking for more clean sheets
HSV’s defence currently find themselves in a rich vein of form after keeping clean sheets in their last two matches against Eintracht Braunschweig and FC St. Pauli. The Rothosen’s men at the back will be hoping to use this stability as a springboard for further success in the run-in.
There were jubilant scenes as referee Matthias Jöllenbeck blew the final whistle in Friday’s Hamburg derby. The Rothosen and their fans celebrated the 1-0 victory in exuberant fashion, before goalscorer Robert Glatzel — egged on by his teammates — put the finishing touch on the evening with a joyous leap in front of the Nordtribüne. Glatzel was voted Man of the Match by the supporters — and his performance was similarly well-received by his head coach. Steffen Baumgart gave his striker a hearty pat on the back as the teams headed off the pitch, before the 52-year-old heaped praise on Glatzel's resilience, as well as his defensive contribution, in his post-match press conference.
St. Pauli coach Fabian Hürzeler claimed after the game that he had seen "too many mistakes" from his team, who he also criticised for "playing backwards too often" and "not winning the duels in the final third," ultimately conceding that "you can't win a derby like that." Baumgart had no qualms with his opposite number's comments and added: "We played well defensively and when we had to put pressure on the ball, which is also why St. Pauli couldn't really assert themselves going forwards."
And so, after a confident and determined derby performance, the Rothosen recorded their second consecutive win to nil, having already demonstrated their defensive acumen a week earlier in their 4-0 triumph over Braunschweig. With the addition of the energetic Ignace Van der Brempt to the already-formidable backline of Reis, Schonlau, Hadzikadunic, HSV remained uncompromising up until the very end of Friday's clash. On the rare occasion that a ball did breach the defence, Matheo Raab was a safe pair of hands between the sticks.
Hamburg will be heading into their next game with the same mindset and, they hope, will be leaving with the same result. Skipper Sebastian Schonlau has declared a third successive clean sheet to be his aim for his side's visit to SC Paderborn, where a win will help HSV keep the pressure on promotion rivals Fortuna Düsseldorf. "We'll keep plugging away," says Schonlau ahead of the penultimate match of the season: "we'll keep focussing on ourselves, playing our own game and doing our homework. After that, we'll see where we end up in the table." The Rothosen must hope for a slip-up from Düsseldorf if they are to overtake them in the race for third place, but one thing is clear —in football, anything can happen.