At the end of a grueling week, the Berlin Bundesliga club Hertha BSC narrowly missed the first home three of the new season. Goals from Dodi Lukébakio and Suat Serdar brought Hertha back from a 1-0 deficit against SC Freiburg, who had started the season spectacularly but were mentally weak on Sunday. But then the Breisgauer came through a late goal by Kevin Schade to 2:2. The affair about club investor Lars Windhorst, which has been raging for a week and a half, and who publicly offered his shares in Hertha’s professional department for sale on Wednesday, only played a marginal role. Only after the end of the game did the Hertha fans put up a poster: “Windhorst out of our club.” The Hertha management is waiting for the report from a law firm to be completed – and only then wants to evaluate the reports about Windhorst’s alleged commissioning of an Israeli security company to spy on and destabilize former President Werner Gegenbauer. Windhorst called the reports nonsense.
SC Freiburg traveled to Berlin without coach Christian Streich. He had stayed in Breisgau because of a Covid infection. Lars Voßler was responsible for the technical management at Freiburg. He had little work insofar as the Freiburg team had been preparing for the line-up for weeks, which they also presented on Sunday, although they were active in the Europa League during the week. The Berliners, on the other hand, had a few changes to show for themselves. Among others, the inspired and inspiring Stevan Jovetic played for the previously unlucky Wilfried Kanga in front of goal.
What could be said for the game also applied to Jovetic: It was only brought to life after twenty boring minutes – by Ritsu Doan. The Japanese offered the spectators the first traces of football, and these were enough to overwhelm Hertha’s left-back Marvin Plattenhardt.
Daniel-Kofi Kyereh scores the Freiburg lead – but then Hertha is there
In the 22nd minute, Doan prevailed against Plattenhardt and passed to Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, who failed from close range to Hertha goalkeeper Oliver Christensen. The ball went almost immediately back into Hertha’s penalty area: Again, Doan Plattenhardt duped with fine feints, again he passed to Kyereh, and this time he had no trouble pushing the ball into the goal.
After that, Hertha was there – and not only created more chances until the break, but also equalized after a penalty. Dodi Lukébakio converted after referee Robert Schröder awarded a penalty for a handball by Freiburg’s Christian Günter (34′).
At the beginning of the second half, the Berliners were much more dominant than at the beginning of the game. They pushed their guests into their own half for minutes without creating any compelling chances. Just when it appeared that Freiburg had calmed down the game, Hertha’s midfielder Suat Serdar scored 2-1 into the visitors’ goal after a 15-yard solo from 20 yards (62′).
As a result, Freiburg lacked the precision in attacking play to seriously throw Berlin into uncertainty. A free kick from the half field still brought the 2:2. Hertha goalkeeper Christensen couldn’t get a cross under control in the six-yard box, “Joker” Kevin Schade dusted off. And saved the Freiburgers a point that keeps them higher in the table.