“The first half was a spectacle, the second was hard graft” | OneFootball

“I would’ve liked it even more if we’d scored one or two more goals. But you have to be satisfied with what you get. It was a great win. The fans created a great atmosphere. It was nice to hear them again. It makes you look forward to the season,” said Gregor Kobel after the opening match in front of 81,365 enthusiastic spectators at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK.

“The first half was spectacular, the second was a lot of hard work,” Lars Ricken summed up the game. The shot count stood at 14:0 after 45 minutes, but 6:8 in the second half. That was when “we played a little less the way I had imagined. We have to do better there,” criticized Niko Kovac.

BVB thinking more offensively

With an “exciting, bold lineup” (Ricken), the coach responded to the absence of Ramy Bensebaini (bruised ribs) as backup on the left center-back position. Since Nico Schlotterbeck and Emre Can are both sidelined for a long time anyway, Kovac had to be creative. To avoid a complete reshuffle, he entrusted Daniel Svensson with the role. The Swede, who has already played in that position for the national team, delivered a flawless performance: 90 percent of his passes reached a teammate. “It helped that we were so dominant in the first half, rather than being under immediate pressure,” said Kobel, adding: “He did a great job.”

That applied to everyone as well – especially in the first half, which they controlled so dominantly. One cog meshed with the next. Managing director Lars Ricken was pleased that the “more offensive approach was the focus”: “We saw great combinations and showed that we are capable of producing something extraordinary.”

A textbook opener for 1:0

Jobe Bellingham (an outstanding performance over the full 90 minutes!) set up the opening goal with a splitting vertical pass to Konstantinos Karetsas. And then it happened quickly. Too quickly for HSV. Karetsas to Serhou Guirassy, a quick one-two between the two, and then the path was clear for the striker: his 61st goal in his 98th game for BVB.

“With Beier on the left flank, the coach also opted for the more offensive solution here,” said Ricken – and that decision also paid off completely. Svensson played the ball forward at the start of first-half stoppage time, Maximilian Beier broke through on the left wing and spotted Giannis Konstantelias, whose shot was deflected beyond the goalkeeper by Hamburg’s defensive leader Sebastiaan Bornauw.

“We’re looking forward to the next home games”

“The coach showed that we want to play brave, fresh football,” Ricken concluded, adding: “We confirmed the positive mood and are looking forward to the next home games.” For the next match on September 8, there is a great chance to get tickets, especially for non-season-ticket holders! Advance sales for the Champions League home match against Villarreal CF begin next Tuesday (1/9, 12 noon), initially for club members, then for everyone who wants to see the new BVB …Boris Rupert

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