Alexander Røssing-Lelesiit did not play for Hamburg in Sunday’s stellar win, and he will hope that his career has more decisive contributions than this one in store. As the final whistle went on a breathless Nordderby victory over Werder Bremen, the 18-year-old bobbed in front of the visitors’ bench and celebrated wildly, prompting some afters between the two squads in a game that bubbled excitedly without exploding into disorder.
Those from Bremen were less than impressed. Justin Njinmah, who had looked like saving a point for Werder when equalising at 2-2 less than 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute, named no names but complained that “some injured HSV players ran on to the field and thought they had to gesticulate and talk shit. That pisses me off. But I guess that’s part of a derby.”
Yes, this is a derby, and then some. Njinmah needed no reminding – he is from Hamburg after all – but there has been plenty of time to forget just how big this is. Sunday’s edition was the first top-flight Nordderby in 2,843 days, and it didn’t disappoint. If Werder’s goal to take the lead at the end of the first half, an ice-cold finish by Jens Stage, felt like it might have been transplanted from a different game, the blue touchpaper was really lit after the interval. Albert Sambi Lokonga levelled for Hamburg just after the hour, as the roof raised and the emotion started to flow.
Firstly, another 18-year-old, Luka Vuskovic, on loan from Tottenham but already the beacon of HSV’s season, flicked the home team in front with an outrageous, Zlatan-esque flourish of the heel from a Fábio Vieira’s free-kick; a legacy, he later said, of “playing teqball with [teammate Nicolai] Remberg every day”. As he celebrated he pointed to his favourite tattoo on his forearm, of him and his older brother Mario, who last played for Hamburg before a long-contested drugs ban that Vuskovic the elder is still serving. It is clear that so much of what Luka has already done here, and the connection he feels with those fans, is with Mario in mind.
There was more. After Njinmah’s leveller, the Werder forward was outdone by another substitute, Yussuf Poulsen, the Leipzig veteran who was supposed to be Hamburg’s extra bit of quality, but had suffered with a series of injuries since arriving in summer. Here, Poulsen struck a minute after coming off the bench, a clever finish: his first for Hamburg and the full stop in this game. “It doesn’t get any better than that,” beamed the Dane. “I could end my career right now, except I won’t.”
What a difference a month makes. At the beginning of November HSV left fellow promoted side (and fellow recovering giants) Köln with a 4-1 defeat, finishing the game with nine men and with the defeat amplified by two goals scored during an interminable 12 minutes of stoppage time. They were fuming with referee Daniel Schlager afterwards and yes, Effzeh were hugely flattered by the margin of victory but it felt as if it might be a relatively accurate barometer of the direction of travel. Köln were – unusually in the context of their recent history – poised, planned and in possession of some top-level talent – such as the teenage star Said El Mala.
Now the Red Shorts are on fire, following on from two Volksparkstadion thrillers prefacing this: Ransford Königsdorffer’s goal to snatch a point against Borussia Dortmund and Vieira’s winner last time out versus Stuttgart (the latter which Poulsen described celebrating with his son in the stands) were two stoppage-time moments to stoke the embers of this famous stadium. Granted, there had been the disappointment of midweek DfB-Pokal elimination to second-tier Holstein Kiel on penalties, but head coach – and Hamburg native – Merlin Polzin has always been clear about what mattered most.
It was a touch over a year ago that Polzin stepped in as caretaker manager for the second time after Steffen Baumgart was sacked. The 35-year-old had outlasted three coaches that he had assisted and finally, with the club seeking a long-elusive stability as their exile from the top division dragged on, he was given the permanent gig. It worked, with Polzin ending the seven-year stay in Bundesliga 2 at the first attempt.
Despite being in his first permanent senior job, he has been smart. As a local he knows the power of the Volkspark, and he has aimed to lean into it. “We won’t downplay it or talk about it only being about three points,” he said in the days before the derby. “We know what it means to our fans and what it means to the people of Hamburg.” Polzin has referenced several times over the season already how the home form will be their bridge to safety – a recognition of the club’s size but also a break with hankering after the past, understanding that staying up is the aim rather than immediately chasing former glories, accepting adjusted expectations but using what the club still does have.
After the game, Polzin talked of “the plan we had together with our fanbase to soak up this moment (which) worked perfectly, because it’s something that can give the team that extra bit of energy”. As their bus approached the stadium, the coach ordered it to stop as the flag and pyro-wielding fans lined the road to welcome them, so the players could get off and walk the final metres to the stadium entrance, absorbing the mood. It was all the start of a Sunday in which Hamburg continued their journey to find themselves again, in the Bundesliga, where they belong.
Augsburg 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Hoffenheim, Cologne 1-1 St Pauli, Hamburg 3-2 Werder Bremen, Heidenheim 2-1 Freiburg, Mainz 0-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach, RB Leipzig 6-0 Eintracht Frankfurt, Stuttgart 0-5 Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg 3-1 Union Berlin
Talking points
The other impressive aspect of HSV’s win was their ability to respond under pressure after unexpected wins for their rivals at the bottom: managerless teams in Augsburg (over Leverkusen) and Wolfsburg (their first at home since January), Heidenheim’s second in a row (snared in stoppage time against Freiburg) and even a last-gasp equaliser for St Pauli – from Englishman Ricky-Jade Jones on his debut – putting an end to nine straight Bundesliga losses.
Harry Kane’s 10th Bundesliga hat-trick was less of a shock, though he was on the bench for the first hour at Stuttgart, with Bayern eventually streaking away through his coolness and Michael Olise’s continued brilliance for a 5-0 win.
Leipzig and Dortmund at least maintained the gap to Bayern, for once. The former were outstanding in a 6-0 demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt (and it doesn’t get any easier for Eintracht, visiting red-hot Barcelona in the week), with 18-year-old Yan Diomande becoming the second-youngest hat-trick scorer in Bundesliga history, while Dortmund opened up Hoffenheim with an outstanding team goal finished by Julian Brandt on the way to a 2-0 win, recovering after midweek Pokal elimination to Leverkusen.
One team yet to get a new manager bounce is rock-bottom Mainz, who reluctantly fired the popular Bo Henriksen this week and still lost Friday night’s game to Borussia Mönchengladbach, whose surge under Eugen Polanski could provide the vanquished with hope. Gladbach are beset with injuries but have now risen to 10th. “The way the lads are putting in the effort and not making excuses is remarkable,” enthused the coach.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich | 13 | 40 | 37 |
| 2 | RB Leipzig | 13 | 15 | 29 |
| 3 | Borussia Dortmund | 13 | 12 | 28 |
| 4 | Bayer Leverkusen | 13 | 9 | 23 |
| 5 | Hoffenheim | 13 | 6 | 23 |
| 6 | Stuttgart | 13 | -1 | 22 |
| 7 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 13 | -1 | 21 |
| 8 | Cologne | 13 | 1 | 16 |
| 9 | Freiburg | 13 | -2 | 16 |
| 10 | Borussia M'gladbach | 13 | -2 | 16 |
| 11 | Werder Bremen | 13 | -6 | 16 |
| 12 | Union Berlin | 13 | -6 | 15 |
| 13 | Hamburg | 13 | -6 | 15 |
| 14 | Augsburg | 13 | -10 | 13 |
| 15 | Wolfsburg | 13 | -6 | 12 |
| 16 | Heidenheim | 13 | -16 | 11 |
| 17 | St Pauli | 13 | -14 | 8 |
| 18 | Mainz | 13 | -13 | 6 |
