2nd league
HSV and the Easter weekend to forget
After the draw in Fürth, HSV is in danger of missing out on promotion again. photo
© Heiko Becker/dpa
The competition wins as a whole, HSV is left behind due to the draw in Fürth. The Bundesliga return via the direct promotion ranks is becoming increasingly unlikely.
Steffen Baumgart took the new setback for his Hamburger SV somewhat fatalistically. “We’ll live with it,” he said HSV coach after Sunday’s disappointing 1-1 draw at SpVgg Greuther Fürth, “and we’ll see how we deal with it at the end of the season and how we evaluate this point.” As of now, seven match days before the end, the supposed promotion favorite has slipped to fourth place behind Fortuna Düsseldorf – and is already in danger of failing again.
League leaders FC St. Pauli and Holstein Kiel seem to be ahead of the game with 57 and 52 points. The victories of Düsseldorf (46) on Saturday in Kaiserslautern (3:1) and pursuers Hannover (43) on Sunday in Magdeburg (3:0) made the Easter weekend even more difficult for Hamburg (45). “If we want to get to the top, we have to win games,” said Baumgart. “We’re not doing it as well as the guys before us.”
Düsseldorf’s “absolute highlight” against Leverkusen
One of them was the former HSV coach Daniel Thioune, who was able to watch with Fortuna on Sunday as his club was not pushed out of the relegation place. “It was a mature presentation from my team,” praised the coach after their own game at Lautern. Ready for advancement? The first thing on the program for the Rhenish club this week is the DFB Cup semi-final against Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday. The “absolute highlight,” said Fortuna professional Yannik Engelhardt.
The HSV fans were far from having such feelings on Sunday in Fürth, despite Miro Muheim’s opening goal, which was well worth seeing. “We’re going home with a partial success, which hurts a lot. We don’t have to discuss the fact that we’re not happy with it,” said Baumgart, who had seen a game “that you can, maybe should, win.” Instead of Hamburg’s second goal, the equalizer – also worth seeing – came from Jomaine Consbruch. “You don’t see two goals of the month in one game every time,” said Baumgart.
St. Pauli and Kiel deliver week after week
Last year, HSV failed again in relegation; achieving this would currently be a success. City rivals St. Pauli and Kiel show stable performances week after week. “If the football god wants us to go up and we gave everything, then so be it,” said Kiel’s Lewis Holtby after the 2-0 win against Hansa Rostock on Saturday.
Pauli coach Fabian Hürzeler warned about their upcoming opponent Karlsruher SC after Sunday’s 2-1 win against SC Paderborn. But the numbers clearly speak for the neighborhood club. At this point in the season, no team has ever lost a lead in the three-point era in the 2nd league like St. Pauli and Kiel now have. “We are on a very, very good path,” said goalscorer Marcel Hartel on Saturday. “But there are still a few steps to take to ultimately achieve the dream. If we continue on our path, the dream can come true.”