Jansen with the equaliser: when HSV last got a point in Leverkusen! | OneFootball

This Saturday, HSV travel to Bayer Leverkusen for the final Bundesliga matchday. Previous visits have not been particularly successful.

To recap their last appearance at the BayArena, we have to look back to the relegation season. On 24 September 2017, the Hanseatic side were beaten 3:0 there. Even before that, they had suffered five painful consecutive defeats, with a goal difference of 4:16. One match that stands out was a 3:1 defeat despite having taken the lead in the meantime. Joel Pohjanpalo, who would later play for Hamburg, scored a perfect hat-trick late on.

HSV last returned from Leverkusen with something to show for their efforts on 5 November 2011. Thorsten Fink, freshly hired from Basel — following Michael Oenning, who had been dismissed early in the season, as well as interim stand-ins Frank Arnesen and Rodolfo Cardoso — was then taking charge of only his third Bundesliga game. He sent out a side packed with well-known names, including the Germany internationals Heiko Westermann, Dennis Aogo and Marcel Jansen, as well as a strike partnership featuring the hugely talented Heung-min Son and Paulo Guerrero.

Photo: Getty Images

HSV wipe out 2:0 deficit

On the pitch, the Rothosen initially had little to offer in the Saturday evening match. A free-kick from André Schürrle, deflected by Dennis Diekmeier, made it 1:0 as early as the fifth minute. Bayer Leverkusen, where Michael Ballack was among those seeing out his career, remained the stronger side thereafter. Following a Schürrle cross, Lars Bender quickly added the 2:0 (20').

But HSV — who had gone into the match on a run of four unbeaten competitive games — fought back and created their first chances. Just under half an hour had been played when Heiko Westermann headed home a free-kick from Dennis Aogo at the far post to pull one back. The equaliser almost came before the break, but referee Knut Kircher disallowed a legitimate goal by Jansen for a supposed foul.

Nur die Raute – All the news about HSV

In the 57th minute, Jansen finally got to celebrate. Set up by a delicate chipped pass from Gökhan Töre — who only showed flashes of his great potential over the course of his career — he fired a first-time finish into the far corner to make it 2:2. Töre was then back in the spotlight once more, but his rash challenge on Bender was not punished with a penalty. In the modern game, VAR would probably have been consulted. So the lively back-and-forth ended in a draw, also because Leverkusen missed several chances to score the winner late on.

Bayer Leverkusen – Hamburger SV 2:2 (2:1)

Leverkusen: Leno,-Castro, Friedrich, Toprak, Kadlec,-Rolfes (63. Derdiyok),-Sam (46. Reinartz), Bender, Ballack, Schürrle,-Kießling

HSV: Drobny,-Diekmeier, Mancienne, Westermann, Aogo,-Töre (82. Jarolim), Kacar (79. Tesche), Rincon, Jansen,-Son (89. Skjelbred),-Guerrero

HSV therefore headed into the international break in positive spirits and then beat Hoffenheim 2:0. However, even after Fink’s first win, they still found no way out of the relegation battle and limped over the line in 15th place with 36 points, helped by weak competition.

In the present day, the Hanseatic club have one more point to their name and travelled to Leverkusen in high spirits. Their first season back in the top flight after around seven years away has passed without any major relegation worries. The icing on the cake — perhaps reaching the 40-point mark — could come with a positive result against a shaky Bayer Leverkusen side that was unsteady then — coach Robin Dutt would be gone just a few weeks later — just as it is now.

Photo: IMAGO

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