HSV rue DFB-Pokal exit: "We only have ourselves to blame" | OneFootball

Just four days before the northern derby against Werder Bremen, HSV suffered a severe setback. In the DFB Cup, the team disappointed for long stretches and ultimately failed in the penalty shootout.

This was not at all what people in Hamburg had imagined: after the first part of the home game triple against VfB Stuttgart had been a resounding success, the “Rothosen” were brought back down to earth on Wednesday evening. Against Holstein Kiel, the Bundesliga team was eliminated from the DFB Cup after a 3:5 defeat in the penalty shootout.

It was all the more frustrating because, until just seconds before the end of extra time, everything pointed to a late happy ending. Substitute Bakery Jatta put HSV ahead 1-0 in his first competitive match since January (107th minute), sending the Volksparkstadion into a frenzy. “The momentum was completely on our side in terms of energy,” lamented head coach Merlin Polzin after the final whistle in the Sky interview.

But one incident dashed the Hanseatic team’s hopes of reaching the quarterfinals: Guilherme Ramos’ foul in his own penalty area led to Phil Harres’ equalizer (118th minute). “At that moment, we contributed massively to creating that free-kick situation,” Polzin admitted.

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HSV setback before the northern derby? Polzin disagrees!

So it went to penalties, where HSV initially had the advantage thanks to a saved penalty by Daniel Peretz. However, a shot off the crossbar by captain Miro Muheim and a poorly taken penalty by Aboubaka Soumahoro meant an avoidable exit. Phil Harres converted the decisive fifth penalty, sending the second-division side into the quarterfinals.

HSV, on the other hand, missed out on a prize money of 1.7 million euros and suffered a severe blow to morale just four days before the home game against Werder Bremen. But Polzin made a promise to the disappointed fans: “We will definitely show a different face on Sunday. This game is done and dusted. Honestly, we’re already moving on and preparing for Bremen.”

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