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Rothosen round off training camp with accomplished victory in Basel

Jeremy Dudziak and Sonny Kittel scored the only goals of the game as Hamburger SV put in a thorough display to see off Swiss side FC Basel 1893.

The hard work that the Rothosen put in during their training camp in Portugal began to bear fruit on Sunday (19th January), as Dieter Hecking’s side brushed Europa League participants FC Basel 1893 aside with an efficient display in Switzerland. After 6 days of hard graft and tactical work in Lagos, the Rothosen stopped off on their way back from ‘La Cascade’ hotel in the Swiss city of Basel to take on 20-time Swiss champions FC Basel 1893. Two fine team goals in either half gave Hamburg their first win of 2020 during an assured performance.
Compared to the jolty showing during the 1-1 draw against FC Seoul on Thursday, partly due to the number of changes and substitutions, Hecking’s troops showed a lot more composure and rhythm from the outset, with Adrian Fein sitting behind Jeremy Dudziak and Louis Schaub in midfield. It was the latter pairing who would team up for the first goal of the game in the 9th minute, as Khaled Narey drew three players around him on the right-hand side of midfield near the halfway line, finding Schaub in acres of space in the middle of the park with a deft back-heel. Schaub drove inside on his left foot, waiting just long enough to attract the Basel defenders and open the space up for Jeremy Dudziak’s lung-bursting run. The ball was timed to perfection, ensuring that the Basel ‘keeper was drawn off his line but giving the 24-year-old enough time to chip into the unguarded net and cap off a fine counter-attacking move. The Rothosen’s lead could have been extended in an impressive opening half-an-hour, with new signing Schaub staking his claim for a starting berth, providing energy and drive from central midfield. As the half drew to a close the hosts grew into the game, causing two or three nervy moments for the Hamburg backline, yet Daniel Heuer Fernandes need not be called into action, seeing his side through to a deserved 1-0 half-time lead.

Louis Schaub put in an impressive showing in his 63 minutes on the pitch, with the assist for Jeremy Dudziak's opener a particular highlight.

The unusual forward pairing of Narey-Jatta-Kittel, with Jatta playing as a lone striker was a shot in the dark from the HSV coaching staff, but something that provided the Rothosen’s attacking efforts in the first half pace and directness. With the introduction of Lukas Hinterseer for the second half as the lone striker, with Jatta moving back to his preferred right-wing slot and Narey onto the defensive right-hand side, the 2. Liga side lost some of the direction of the first period, and weren’t quite as threatening after the restart. Despite seeing more of the ball, the hosts continued to struggle against a well-organised and compact Hamburg defence, rarely making it into the final third to test Heuer Fernandes’ palms. With the Swiss side proving to be little threat, Hamburg’s top scorer Sonny Kittel put the game to bed in the 71st minute after another flowing team move. Tim Leibold flicked delicately into the path of substitute David Kinsombi, who in turn found Christoph Moritz inside the left-hand side of the area. The former Kaiserslautern man laid it on to Lukas Hinterseer, whose pass didn’t find its intended target but fell perfectly back to Sonny Kittel who hammered past Omlin from the penalty spot to double the second division team’s advantage.

Bakery Jatta had the chance to put the icing on the cake with a glorious opportunity late on, yet the scoreline would have been harsh on the hosts if the winger had been able to convert the 1-on-1 chance against Omlin. As the final whistle blew, the Hamburg players were able to celebrate with the 500 travelling fans who had made the long trip down to the Alpine city, knowing that their performance had done their hard work in Portugal justice. Next up are Regionalliga side VfB Lübeck on Thursday evening, before it all gets serious a week later at home to 1. FC Nürnberg.

HSV: Heuer Fernandes - Beyer (46‘ Hinterseer), Ewerton (46‘ van Drongelen), Letschert (63‘ David), Leibold (87‘ Sousa) - Fein (63‘ Jung) - Schaub (63‘ Kinsombi), Dudziak (63‘ Moritz) - Narey, Jatta, Kittel (78‘ Amaechi)
Goals: 1-0 Dudziak (9‘), 2-0 Kittel (71‘)
Attendance: 6,489