Five goal involvements: Pherai shines in mini North derby | OneFootball

HSV U21 recorded a clear derby win on Saturday against Werder Bremen’s reserve team. On-loan first-team player Immanuel Pherai became the man of the match.

At first, the visitors set the tone in front of around 450 spectators at Hoheluft Stadium and took the lead through Princewill Mbock after not even 180 seconds. But HSV’s reserves — who had won a spectacular 4-3 in Emden the previous week — shook off the early setback and pushed forward. Immanuel Pherai was involved in nearly every attacking move.

In the 25th minute, he set up Kelvin Ojo, who blasted the ball into the net to make it 1-1. SVW could have retaken the lead shortly afterward when referee Tim Otto awarded a handball penalty. However, Cimo Röcker put the ball wide. Before the break, HSV’s U21 pulled away to 3-1 instead. Once again it was sparked by Pherai, who delivered the cross for Lukas Bornschein’s headed goal and then sent Ojo through with a perfectly timed pass.

HSV: Pherai stakes a claim for first-team comeback

After the break, Pherai picked up where he left off but switched to the role of finisher. He made it 4-1 as early as the 47th minute. Ten minutes later, the playmaker extended the lead to 5-1, effectively deciding the northern duel early. Mbock’s 5-2 was of only minor significance. Pherai was allowed to leave the field a quarter of an hour before the end and was replaced by Levin Öztunali.

From the bench, the 11-time Suriname international—left out of the current World Cup qualifiers due to a lack of match practice—watched Raif Adam make it 6-2. “Pherai’s individual quality definitely made the difference today,” praised Lukas Anderer, HSV U21 head coach (via Mopo). He also emphasized that the right-footer “is still a player of the Bundesliga team.”

Photo: IMAGO

However, he has not featured at all this season. Last Sunday, Pherai was included in the squad for the first time in the 4-0 win over Mainz. So far, he has only gathered match practice in the Regionalliga. He underlined that he is clearly overqualified for that level with his gala performance, which likely also pleased Merlin Polzin.

Photo: IMAGO

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