Teams | November 6, 2012 at 03:21 PM
Hertha BSC win Berlin derby 2-1!
Hertha BSC win Berlin derby 2-1!
Hertha came out on top in what was a scrappy derby, thanks to goals from Sandro Wagner and Ronny.
On Monday night (03.09.12) matchday 4 of the new division two season ended with a crucial 2-1 for Hertha against cross-town rivals Union Berlin, in front of a capacity crowd of 16,750 at the Alten Försterei stadium in Köpenick. The Hertha goals came from Sandro Wagner and the man he replaced in the second half Ronny. First choice keeper Thomas Kraft's delight at his return to first team following suspension was short lived, as he suffered a blockage in his back during warm-up before kick off. Sascha Burchert took his place between the posts and the young stopper played out of his skin. Swiss utility man Fabian Lustenberger played at right back. Marcel Ndjeng reverted to right midfield in the place of Nikita Rukavytysa, who joined Bundesliga side Mainz during the summer transfer window.
The 1,500 travelling Hertha faithful made their presence felt as the emotion-charged game got underway. The hosts began brightly, but failed to threaten the visiting goal early on. The first chance of the game fell to Hertha, as Roman Hubnik back-headed a Ben-Hatira free kick towards the back post but there was nobody there to pounce (3.). Marcel Ndjeng then fired a shot from 30 metres wide of the left hand post (19.), before moments later a shot from the edge of the box from Ben-Hatira nestled safely in the arms of home stopper Daniel Haas (20.).
Hertha strike out of the blue
Fine combination work on Hertha's part led to the deadlock being broken on 30 minutes, as Ben-Hatira found Kluge inside the Union area with an excellent pass. Kluge superbly set up Wagner who side-fotted the ball home into the bottom left hand corner of the net. Five minutes later Ndjeng tried his luck again from distance, but sadly with the same result his previous effort. At the other end Hubnik won an aerial duel with Adam Nemec, allowing Burchert to clear the danger (36.). On the stroke of halftime, Ben-Hatira showed silky skills to leave several defenders in his wake. Sadly he missed the chance to play a square pass to Kluge who would surely have scored. Hertha led 1-0 at the break.
Hertha boss Jos Luhukay replaced Sami Allagui with Adrian Ramos at the start of the second half. Hertha held a collective snooze which allowed Nemec to get in behind Hubnik and power a header agonisingly wide of target, with Burchert rooted to the spot (47.). Union were in determined mood and took the game to the visitors, laying siege to the Hertha goal. After 64 minutes Burchert began to shine as he superby saved a shot from an acute angle by Simon Terodde. Moments later the stopper had his wits about him again as he prevented Patrick Kohlmann from equalising. Five minutes later though Union drew level as Hubnik back-headed the ball to the far post, where unmarked Christopher Quiring had the simple task of nodding the ball into the back of the net (70.).
Hertha show charachter
It took only four minutes for the visitors to strike back. Ramos was fouled just outside the Union area. Ronny (who had just had replaced Wagner) blasted the resulting free kick hard and low into the middle of the goal to give his side the lead again. In truth the shot should have been saved by Haas, but that didn't bother Hertha or their voiciferous travelling faithful! (74.). Union midfield general Torsten Mattuschka curled a free kick over the wall, but Burchert dropped to his left like a stone to gather the effort (79.). Luhukay was forced to make another change late on, as Ben-Hatira limped off to be replaced by towering defender John Anthony Brooks. Union's final surge was without threat and Hertha's defence easily nipped any possible danger in the bud.
The final Hertha chance was squandered by Ramos at the end of a superb counter attack involving Ronny (90.). The final whistle was then blown and Hertha celebrated with their delighted fans. For them it was the first victory over Union in three attempts, giving the Berlin bragging rights back to the blue and white side of town. The win takes Hertha up to a much more respectable 6th place in the division two table. After the break for international games, Hertha host VfR Aalen in a matchday 5 encounter at the Olympic stadium in the capital city. That game, to be played on Sunday September 16th 2012 kicks off at 13.30 CET.
The 1,500 travelling Hertha faithful made their presence felt as the emotion-charged game got underway. The hosts began brightly, but failed to threaten the visiting goal early on. The first chance of the game fell to Hertha, as Roman Hubnik back-headed a Ben-Hatira free kick towards the back post but there was nobody there to pounce (3.). Marcel Ndjeng then fired a shot from 30 metres wide of the left hand post (19.), before moments later a shot from the edge of the box from Ben-Hatira nestled safely in the arms of home stopper Daniel Haas (20.).
Hertha strike out of the blue
Fine combination work on Hertha's part led to the deadlock being broken on 30 minutes, as Ben-Hatira found Kluge inside the Union area with an excellent pass. Kluge superbly set up Wagner who side-fotted the ball home into the bottom left hand corner of the net. Five minutes later Ndjeng tried his luck again from distance, but sadly with the same result his previous effort. At the other end Hubnik won an aerial duel with Adam Nemec, allowing Burchert to clear the danger (36.). On the stroke of halftime, Ben-Hatira showed silky skills to leave several defenders in his wake. Sadly he missed the chance to play a square pass to Kluge who would surely have scored. Hertha led 1-0 at the break.
Hertha boss Jos Luhukay replaced Sami Allagui with Adrian Ramos at the start of the second half. Hertha held a collective snooze which allowed Nemec to get in behind Hubnik and power a header agonisingly wide of target, with Burchert rooted to the spot (47.). Union were in determined mood and took the game to the visitors, laying siege to the Hertha goal. After 64 minutes Burchert began to shine as he superby saved a shot from an acute angle by Simon Terodde. Moments later the stopper had his wits about him again as he prevented Patrick Kohlmann from equalising. Five minutes later though Union drew level as Hubnik back-headed the ball to the far post, where unmarked Christopher Quiring had the simple task of nodding the ball into the back of the net (70.).
Hertha show charachter
It took only four minutes for the visitors to strike back. Ramos was fouled just outside the Union area. Ronny (who had just had replaced Wagner) blasted the resulting free kick hard and low into the middle of the goal to give his side the lead again. In truth the shot should have been saved by Haas, but that didn't bother Hertha or their voiciferous travelling faithful! (74.). Union midfield general Torsten Mattuschka curled a free kick over the wall, but Burchert dropped to his left like a stone to gather the effort (79.). Luhukay was forced to make another change late on, as Ben-Hatira limped off to be replaced by towering defender John Anthony Brooks. Union's final surge was without threat and Hertha's defence easily nipped any possible danger in the bud.
The final Hertha chance was squandered by Ramos at the end of a superb counter attack involving Ronny (90.). The final whistle was then blown and Hertha celebrated with their delighted fans. For them it was the first victory over Union in three attempts, giving the Berlin bragging rights back to the blue and white side of town. The win takes Hertha up to a much more respectable 6th place in the division two table. After the break for international games, Hertha host VfR Aalen in a matchday 5 encounter at the Olympic stadium in the capital city. That game, to be played on Sunday September 16th 2012 kicks off at 13.30 CET.