Match Report Hamburg SV

FCBayernNews · News fetcher Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 1323 votes: 2

25.11.2006

Comeback specialists Bayern came from behind for the third league game in a row to down crisis club Hamburg and keep the pressure on leaders Schalke.

A boisterous 57,000 full house at the AOL Arena saw Bayern concede the opener for the fifth time in their last six matches, Dutch dynamo Rafael van der Vaart netting an 18th-minute penalty after referee Thorsten Kinhöfer ruled Martin Demichelis had fouled Cote d'Ivoire hitman Boubacar Sanogo in the box.

Both Lucio and Sebastian Deisler appeared for the second half as Munich boss Felix Magath shuffled the deck, and Deisler it was who delivered a slide-rule angled pass for Roy Makaay to level twelve minutes after the restart.

There was only one team in it after that, and in-form Claudio Pizarro fired his fifth goal of the season - his tenth in 12 appearances against HSV - to seal the outcome, again from an inspired piece of play by the resurgent Deisler.

Lahm for Lell

Boss Felix Magath reverted to the line-up from last Saturday's 2-1 victory over Stuttgart, restoring Philipp Lahm at left-back in place of midweek stand-in Christian Lell.

That meant another start in the central playmaking role for Bastian Schweinsteiger, but with Andreas Ottl preoccupied in containing the midfield threat posed by van der Vaart and Iran star Mehdi Mahdavikia, the Germany starlet was unable to stamp his authority on the opening exchanges.

Toothless in first half

Former Reds Piotr Trochowski and Paolo Guerrero combined to prompt a goalmouth scramble on ten minutes, but it was Demichelis' misjudgement and ill-advised challenge on Sanogo which led to the penalty award and cool finish from van der Vaart.

A Claudio Pizarro drive across the face of Stefan Wächter's goal apart, Bayern struggled for fluency and it took until the 43rd minute for Pizarro and Mark van Bommel to conjure up a chance for Roy Makaay.

A team transformed

Lucio replaced the unfortunate Demichelis and Deisler took over from Ottl as Bayern emerged for the second half with vastly more energy and resolve. The reward came on 57 minutes when Deisler brilliantly turned three defenders before offering the ball on a plate for Makaay to slot home the equaliser.

It was one-way traffic now, but Pizarro fired wide and Makaay saw Wächter block a thunderous drive with his face, before Trochowski twice cleared off the line in an almighty scramble provoked by ex-HSV man Daniel van Buyten's header.

Pizza delivers

A goal looked only a matter of time, and again it was Deisler who turned up trumps. Schweinsteiger spotted the midfielder's ghosting charge down the inside right channel, Deisler oozing vision and skill to pick out the unmarked Pizarro on the penalty spot for a routine finish.

Filinger drove narrowly wide as the home side attempted to stage a late rally, but Bayern could have added more of their own in a victory which rates as deserved on the basis of a dramatically improved second half.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley