FIRST TEAM
03/14/2015

Ruthless TSG beat Hamburg 3-0

TSG put in a dominant display as they cruised to an easy 3-0 victory over relegation-threatened Hamburger SV. Hamburg keeper Jaroslav Drobny saw red in the first half and TSG capitalised on their numerical advantage with an Eugen Polanski brace and a Sebastian Rudy tap-in securing all three points. The hosts were in complete control from the off and could easily have won by a greater margin.

Tactics and line-up:

Manager Markus Gisdol reverted back to the 4-3-3 formation, previously used in the DFB Cup last-16 win, instead of the usual 4-2-3-1, and made two changes to the side that started against Schalke last weekend. Stephen Zuber dropped to the bench, with Sebastian Rudy replacing him in the starting XI. The Germany international started on the right-hand side of a midfield trio that also featured Pirmin Schwegler and Eugen Polanski. Anthony Modeste missed out through injury so Sven Schipplock started alongside Kevin Volland and Roberto Firmino in attack.

Match highlights:

1st minute: Promising start from the hosts! Neat build-up play down the left by TSG ends with Schipplock whipping the ball across the face of goal. Polanski can't quite connect but linesman flags for offside anyway.

20th minute: PENALTY AND RED CARD! A perfectly weighted pass plays Schipplock through one-on-one. The TSG forward takes the ball past Hamburg keeper Drobny who brings him down. Absolutely no hesitation from referee Perl and Drobny is off. Polanski steps up to take the penalty…

22nd minute: GOOOAAALLL for TSG!!! 1-0: Substitute keeper Adler gets a hand to Polanski's penalty but merely palms it on to the post and in. Deserved lead for the hosts.

44th minute: What a chance! TSG come close to doubling their lead just before the break. Beck charges down the left and threads the ball through to Firmino, but the Brazil international is denied by a brilliant save from Adler.

60th minute: So close! Schipplock's powerful header from a TSG corner skims the crossbar and crashes onto the roof of the net.

61st minute: Fantastic save by Baumann! Cleber rises highest to meet Stieber's corner but Baumann gets down quickly to make a superb reaction save from his point-blank header.

81st minute: GOOOAAALLL for Hoffenheim!!! 2-0: Polanski grabs his second of the game with a fierce, low drive into the bottom right-hand corner.

86th minute: The visitors are still pressing. Stieber makes space for himself on the edge of the area and drills a shot on goal but Baumann blocks his effort.

87th minute: GOOOAAALLL for Hoffenheim! THREE for TSG!!! 3-0: Volland races clear down the right and squares for Rudy who taps home from close range.

Moment of the match:

TSG completely dominated the game against HSV, even before the sending off. The stats were all in Hoffenheim's favour in terms of possession, successful passes and goalscoring opportunities. Oliver Baumann had a quiet day in goal, but when he was called into action, he pulled off some great saves. He protected the hosts' slim lead in the 61st minute when he pulled off a terrific reflex save to deny Cleber and also did brilliantly to keep out Olic in the closing stages. Great stuff from our number 1!

Number of the match: 301

That's how many passes TSG played in Hamburg's half, and a whopping 71% of them were successful. Hamburg only managed 276 passes in total, highlighting Hoffenheim's dominance.

Match facts and statistics »

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