What a year! The three most spectacular moments of HSV's season | OneFootball

HSV returned to the Bundesliga after a seven-year absence and comfortably secured survival. Quite a few moments will be remembered long after the season ended.

The Hanseatic side, who ultimately finished nine points clear of the relegation playoff spot, were involved in several highly entertaining matches. The passionate fans in the Volksparkstadion, which was sold out for every competitive home game, were treated to plenty of action in particular. HSV picked up most of their points there and even caused problems for some of the league’s biggest names.

But they also pulled off one or two upsets away from home, which ultimately resulted in a 13th-place finish that was probably satisfying for everyone involved. We now take another look at what the editorial team considers the three most spectacular moments of the 2025/26 season.

Last-minute win against Stuttgart: scenes of pure joy at the Volkspark

As mentioned in the introduction, HSV also managed to challenge Bundesliga top teams at the Volksparkstadion. At the end of November, they put in a heroic battle against VfB Stuttgart. Robert Glatzel, who had to go off injured shortly afterward, gave HSV an early 1–0 lead, but Deniz Undav equalized after the break. The point they would gladly have taken before kickoff came under threat once again after a controversial red card for Alexander Røssing-Lelesiit.

In the closing stages, the Rothosen were almost entirely focused on defending. Deep into stoppage time, the visitors were awarded another free kick from the right half-space. Hamburg’s supporters feared for the draw, naturally unaware of what would happen just seconds later. The set-piece routine went completely wrong: Angelo Stiller played the ball straight to Nicolás Capaldo, who immediately moved it on to Fábio Baldé. Baldé stormed from his own half into the opposition penalty area and somehow poked the ball through Chema Andrés’s legs to the advancing Fábio Vieira. The Portuguese midfielder finished coolly for 2–1.

Photo: Getty Images

At that point, all restraint went out the window among the fans, many of whom had already leapt to their feet in the middle of the move. The eruption of joy, both in the stands and on the pitch, recalled the promotion match against Ulm in both volume and intensity. The entire Hamburg bench — from substitutes to the coaching staff to the support team — set off together in a jubilant sprint toward the corner flag. The final whistle followed shortly afterward. Out of nowhere, HSV had celebrated a last-minute win that not only ended a five-game slump, but also gave them a huge boost for the weeks ahead.

Goal of the year? Vuskovic scores with a backheel in the North derby

Just seven days later, the next memorable match took place at the Volksparkstadion. HSV hosted SV Werder Bremen in the first Bundesliga North derby since February 24, 2018. Unsurprisingly, the clash with their fiercest rivals came with plenty of edge. On the pitch, however, the game took a while to come to life. Jens Stage gave the visitors the lead shortly before halftime. Albert Sambi Lokonga equalized in the 63rd minute for the home side, who had been on top for long stretches.

Twelve minutes later, the Volkspark erupted. HSV turned the match around through Luka Vuskovic. But it was not just the 2–1 itself that caused such excitement — it was also the way the goal came about. Standing with his back to goal, the center-back redirected a Vieira free kick from the right half-space past goalkeeper Mio Backhaus and into the net with his heel (!).

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While Vuskovic, who already carries himself with remarkable maturity for someone so young, celebrated with admirable composure in front of the Nordtribüne, Nicolai Remberg could only put his hands on his head in amazement. Incidentally, that was not the final act of a North derby that became frantic in the second half. Justin Njinmah made it 2–2 almost immediately, before substitute Yussuf Poulsen sealed Hamburg’s much-celebrated win in the 84th minute with what would ultimately be his only goal of the season.

The victory was special for many reasons, but above all it will be remembered for Vuskovic’s wonder goal. The piece of brilliance also made an impression across Germany. In the Sportschau vote for “Goal of the Year” 2025, Vuskovic finished second behind Luis Díaz of Bayern Munich.

HSV fans take over Wolfsburg

The fans once again played a central role during the past season, including in one of the key matches on the road to survival. On March 7, HSV traveled to then-second-bottom Wolfsburg holding a six-point cushion and had the chance to open up a clear gap to the direct relegation places early on. Yet the trip to the Auto City hardly felt like an away game at all. Hamburg supporters had taken advantage of the general ticket sale and bought seats in every section, meaning the sympathies among the 28,917 spectators were split roughly evenly.

In terms of atmosphere, they set the tone from the very beginning. HSV, however, could not match that on the pitch at first and fell behind early through a penalty. But even though the team was some way off its best, it still managed to turn the game around. Luka Vuskovic once again had an extraordinary day and won two penalties. He nervelessly converted the first one himself for the equalizer, and handed the second to Jean-Luc Dompé, who finished with confidence.

Photo: Getty Images

After that, the Hanseatic side all but gave up any attacking ambition and defended the 2–1 lead with passion, luck, skill, and incredible support from the stands, which only grew louder and louder. After the relieving final whistle, Merlin Polzin did not even call his team together for the usual huddle, instead letting them head straight toward the away end to celebrate. Afterwards, players repeatedly said in interviews — while making a lap of honor through large parts of the stadium — “It felt like a home game.”

As is well known, HSV felt very much at home there, and as a promoted side they were especially reliant on the backing from the stands. Officially, they picked up 24 of their 38 points at home — and if you include the “home win” in Wolfsburg, that rises to 27 of 38, more than the two directly relegated sides Heidenheim and St. Pauli managed over the entire season. A key factor was the close bond between team and fans, which was on particularly vivid display that day, while frustrated Wolfsburg supporters were simultaneously setting off fireworks from their section.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.