The news of SV Darmstadt 98’s missed promotion may have triggered mixed feelings at Hamburger SV. The HSV city rivals FC St. Pauli had given the party crasher for the premature promotion celebration of the leaders of the 2nd Bundesliga on Saturday evening.
At the same time, the team from the Kiez reported back in the promotion race with a 3-0 win in Darmstadt and, three games before the end of the season, closed the gap to their big Hamburg neighbors by just four points.
For HSV, the football weekend had already started with a disappointment. After the 2:2 against SC Paderborn on Friday evening, the season will be extended like last year with two games against the Bundesliga-16. more likely – but even that is not yet certain. “We got a point today, but that’s not what we’re aiming for,” said HSV coach Tim Walter – to immediately encourage himself, the team and the fans. “We have three games and we still have everything in our own hands.”
HSV hopes for minimum goal – pursuers put pressure on
That’s right. But unlike a year ago, achieving relegation would be a minimal goal at best. The claims that those in charge of what felt like the first division club suggested with their statements throughout the season were different.
Darmstadt 98 (64 points) is no longer an issue despite the defeat against FC St. Pauli with a seven-point lead with nine points still up for grabs for HSV (57). Intercepting 1. FC Heidenheim in second place is still mathematically possible for the Hamburg team, but it’s difficult enough. It is important for them to successfully defend their promotion relegation place.
Fourth-placed FC St. Pauli (53) and Fortuna Düsseldorf (53) put pressure on from behind. Düsseldorf defeated Holstein Kiel 3-0 on Saturday afternoon and also worked towards the relegation rank.
Direct promotion is the goal “while it’s still possible,” said HSV midfielder Jonas Meffert after the Paderborn game and didn’t want to say goodbye to second place just yet. Mentally, the players are apparently already thinking about the additional games for promotion. “The relegation is also a way to get promoted. Then you have two games and you have it back in your own hands,” said captain Sebastian Schonlau.
Pauli messes up party
The draw against Ostwestfalen – who had arrived before the match day with a small hope of promotion – had given Darmstadt 98 the opportunity to return to the top tier of German football after six years with a win against the second half of the season, FC St. Pauli close.
“At some point you realized that today is not a happy day for us,” said coach Torsten Lieberknecht. “Wipe your mouth, move on, stay stable.” With a smile, he wished his St. Pauli colleague Fabian Hürzeler “all the best for the further build-up of pressure from the position you are in now”.
Hope is alive again in the team of 30-year-old Hürzeler. “The fact that you beat the leaders like that speaks for a team that wants to play at the top and deserves it,” said co-captain Leart Paqarada. “We’re now looking at what the next few weeks will bring. There will be cool games.”
However, the rest of HSV’s program appears to be easier than that of its inner-city rivals. The Hamburgers are guests of the relegation-threatened teams of Jahn Regensburg and SV Sandhausen. The last home game is against SpVgg. Greuther Fürth, who did not show up as a shock abroad this season. FC St. Pauli has to play against Fortuna, who has the same number of points, next Saturday (8.30 p.m. / Sport1 and Sky). Meanwhile, HSV captain Schonlau emphasized: “We fight, we fight, we work – but there is one thing we will not do: And that is give up.”
