Relief for Demichelis: Leipzig Humiliates a Goalless HSV

Martin Demichelis can breathe a sigh of relief at RB Leipzig, while a sense of crisis is likely to be setting in at Hamburger SV after yet another embarrassing scoreless performance. On Matchday 3 of the Bundesliga, the Saxons cruised to a 5-0 (2-0) victory over the team at the bottom of the table, giving the Argentine coach—who has been under fire—a much calmer week. HSV coach Merlin Polzin, on the other hand, must come to terms with his second consecutive 0–5 loss.

Tidiam Gomis (12th minute) scored his first goal at the Leipzig Stadium in front of 47,800 fans, and Norway’s World Cup participant Antonio Nusa (28th) added another after a glaring defensive error by Hamburg. RB defensive leader Willi Orban (72nd minute) scored off a rehearsed set piece; Christopher Nkunku (74th minute) netted his first goal since returning—and Romulo (77th minute) put the finishing touch on the victory. National team coach Jürgen Klopp will most likely have to do without Assan Ouédraogo for his first squad announcement on Thursday, as Ouédraogo had to leave the field early with a shoulder injury.

Victory demanded, victory delivered

After the embarrassing Champions League performance in Como (1–4), Demichelis had demanded a response, just as he had after the loss to Bremen. Now the Argentine had even made victory a must. The coach—who had been backed once again by sporting director Marcel Schäfer even before the match—got the win he wanted. “We were surprised by how much negativity was brought in,” the 42-year-old told DAZN. Of course, he said, those had been two games that fell short of expectations.

The Saxons didn’t seem nervous, nor did they let themselves be drawn into an aggressive opening offensive. On the contrary: They focused on possession and took control of HSV. After eight minutes, Jordan Torunarigha just managed to clear the ball to a corner before Gomis could reach it. A shot by Benjamin Henrichs (12th minute) was also deflected. One couldn’t help but get the impression that taking the lead against the harmless and at times disorganized Hamburg side was merely a matter of time.

Easy Goals — Concerns About Ouédraogo

In a simple play, Brajan Gruda sent Dutchman Ezechiel Banzuzi deep down the right flank; his low pass into the penalty area found Gomis, who was completely unmarked. For the left winger—who had been converted to a center forward and had already set up two goals against Gladbach—it was his first goal of the season.

Leipzig continued to control the game effortlessly—and HSV helped them score. As the last man, Shafiq Nandja lost the ball to Nusa while building up play; the Norwegian didn’t let this chance slip away and scored with ease.

Just three minutes later, the mood in the Leipzig camp changed abruptly. National team player Ouédraogo clutched his right shoulder with a pained expression after a tackle with Albert Grönbaek. The 20-year-old had already missed the entire month of August due to a capsular injury to that shoulder. Now he faces another prolonged absence and the prospect of missing Klopp’s first international matches.

Hamburg more aggressive, Leipzig more accurate

HSV got off to a better start, even managing the first two shots on the Leipzig goal. But both David Møller Wolfe (49th) and Zakaria El Ouahdi (54th) were denied by Maarten Vandevoordt. However, the team continued to display what was at times naive defensive play. On a counterattack (55th), four Leipzig players raced toward the goal against a single HSV defender but squandered the chance miserably. Five minutes later, Christopher Nkunku, who had come on as a substitute for Ouédraogo, missed the third goal with a bicycle kick.

Orban then took care of it—with a move straight from the practice field. Nusa curled his free kick from the left edge of the penalty area toward the far post, where the veteran, who had made a run into the box, simply had to put his foot out. Nkunku also scored effortlessly on a counterattack. The Frenchman celebrated his goal just as he used to in his Leipzig days—by blowing up a red balloon for his son. The third RB goal within five minutes was scored by Romulo, who had been sidelined by injury for a long time, following a counterattack after an HSV throw-in.