FIRST TEAM
07/08/2017

TSG comeback in friendly vs. Lüttich

TSG have won their first friendly of the season, defeating Belgian top-tier side Standard Lüttich by a score of 4-2. The first half didn’t go so well for manager Julian Nagelsmann’s team, as they went into the break 2-1 down. However, Adam Szalai, Eugen Polanski, Nicolas Wähling, and Stefan Posch managed to turn the game around for the Bundesliga side.

The first friendly of the season saw new signings Justin Hoogma, Harvard Nordtveit, and Florian Grillitsch feature alongside a few U23 players in the line-up. Gregor Kobel started in net, playing behind captain Kevin Vogt, Hoogma, Grillitsch, Steven Zuber, Adam Szalai, Marco Terrazzino, Philipp Ochs, Maximilian Waack, and Jannik Dehm. Vogt, Hoogma, and Bicakcic played as a back-three, with Grillitsch, Ochs, Waack, and Zuber assuming their roles in midfield behind Szalai, Dehm, and Terrazzino who lead the attack.

Andrej Kramaric, Robert Zulj, Oliver Baumann, and Fabian Schär missed the first friendly due to injuries. New signing Nico Schulz watched his new teammates from the stands after being signed earlier in the day. Confederations Cup participants Sandro Wagner and Kerem Demirbay, as well as U21 European champions Nadiem Amiri and Jeremy Toljan are still enjoying a well-deserved break. Dennis Geiger and Robin Hack are with the Germany U19s at the European Championship in Georgia.

TSG tried to play with composure and a high line, but the guests’ first attack led straight to a goal, as Lüttich took the lead from a set-piece in the eighth minute. TSG’s first chance came when Ochs had a go from 16 metres out, but his shot was parried. The visitors from Belgium offered hardly anything in attack, instead opting to play defensively, but hit TSG on the counter to score their second after 25 minutes. Szalai managed to pull one back for the hosts as he slotted home from close range (40’) before going into the dressing room.

A red card, an injury, and the lead

The second 45 minutes saw Hoffenheim field a completely different eleven. Alexander Stolz took over at the goalkeeper position behind Benjamin Hübner, Harvard Nordtveit, and Stefan Posch. In front of them in the midfield were Eugen Polanski, Lukas Rupp, Pavel Kaderabek, and Alexander Rossipal. Mark Uth, Meris Skenderovic, and Nicolas Wähling then assumed their positions up front. Rossipal had a chance to bring TSG level almost immediately after the restart, but then had to come off due to an injury. Lüttich defender was shown a red card for the foul which caused the injury, as Zuber came back onto the field for TSG.

Hoffenheim equalised 65 minutes in: Polanski fired the ball with pinpoint accuracy into the corner to make it 2-2, but the best goal of the evening was the goal that put Nagelsmann’s men 3-2 up. Polanski floated a long ball across to Kaderabek, who crossed into the middle for Wähling who gave TSG the lead for the first time all afternoon (72’). Zuber missed a penalty to make it 4-2, but in the end it was Posch who scored TSG’s fourth with an unstoppable 20 metre strike in the 86th minute. It was his first goal in TSG colours. 

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