Luka Vuskovic celebrates ‘hard fought’ Hamburg victory with two broken fingers | OneFootball

The long wait is finally over in Hamburg! It’s been seven long years since supporters of Hamburger SV have had a chance to celebrate a Bundesliga goal at the Volksparkstadion. Fittingly enough, it was a player with special HSV roots who made it happen. Tottenham loanee finally ended the wait with a 42nd-minute 1-0 in Saturday’s 2-1 win over FC Heidenheim.

Prior to the jubilation, Vuskovic first had to endure some frustration. In the 28th-minute, the 18-year-old sent an effort off a corner over the bar. Broadcast cameras caught the young centre-back first kicking and then smashing his first into the post in frustration. After the match, Vuskovic appeared in the mixed zone with two fingers on his right hand thickly bandaged.

“I think I broke two fingers,” Vuskovic told the group of assembled reporters. “I was just so mad about that [missed chance] that I bashed the post with full force.“

In many respects, Vuskovic’s day was perfectly emblematic of the HSV’s victory. The Hamburg hosts found it anything but easy to break down their opponent (presently the weakest team in the league) in their fourth league fixture of the current campaign. Merlin Polzin’s team – having not even scored a single goal through three Bundesliga matchdays – visibly struggled with their confidence through much of the first half.

Hamburg have had to endure the humiliation of a home derby loss to city rivals FC. St Pauli and yet another ruthless battering from German giants FC Bayern Munich. Polzin pieced together an interesting 3-4-3 that aimed to make better of big-name summer signings Rayan Philippe and Fabio Vieira. Initial results, much like Vuskovic’s self-inflicted hand injury, could aptly be described as “painful“.

After Vuskovic gave the team a 1-0 half-time lead, however, matters got better after the change-of-ends. The hosts defended more passionately and transitioned with the ball more decisively. To their credit, the Volksparkstadion crowd also remained patient with the team. Vuskovic’s 28th-minute miss released an audible collective murmur, but the supporters did not give up.

Both Polzin and Vuskovic credited the fans for helping them secure the victory. In his mixed zone interview, Vuskovic gushed over the “crazy atmosphere“. Polzin also thanked his players for buying into the concepts he attempted to instill in them during the training week.

“We talked about what we need to stand for,” Polzin said at the post-match press conference. “We [the coaching staff] and the players found clear words over the course of the week. It was a hard-fought victory.

“Our process was patchy at times, but the fans in the stands remained patient,” Polzin continued. “There was great energy. We didn’t feel as if it was an XI vs. XI match with the entire stadium on our side.“

GGFN | Peter Weis