Teams | February 16, 2015 at 10:43 AM
0-2 defeat against Freiburg
0-2 defeat against Freiburg
Hertha BSC lost Pal Dardai's home debut against efficient visitors.
Berlin - Hertha BSC were beaten on new head coach Pal Dardai's home debut on Sunday afternoon (15.02.15). The capital city side lost 0-2 to SC Freiburg in front of 37,617 at the Olympic stadium in Berlin on Bundesliga matchday 21 The new Berlin boss made two changes to the team which won 2-0 away to Mainz last time out, with Ronny replacing suspended captain Fabian Lustenberger, and Africa Cup winner Salomon Kalou returning up front. It was the first time this season that Kalou and Schieber had led the line together. Beerens reverted to the bench. Freiburg coach Christian Streich made four changes after his side lost 0-3 at home to Borussia Dortmund last time out: Höhn, Riether, Philipp and Guedé replaced Frantz, Krmas, Petersen and Möller Daehli.
Dardai played Per Skjelbred alone in front of the back four while Ronny and Valentin Stocker operated further up field. After the opening few minutes, Hertha pushed the visitors back in their own half. A Ronny free kick found Schieber, but the Berlin striker was denied by SC keeper Roman Bürki, after he got a shot in from an acute angle (5.). Then Kalou won the ball against Darida in midfield before sending a through ball to the feet of Stocker inside the opposing box. Sadly the Swiss midfielder failed to control the ball and a decent chance was missed (11.) The Black Forest-based visitors then took the lead with their opening chance of the game, as Karim Guedé played a ball into the Berlin area where Felix Klaus got a boot to it and send it into the back of the net off the inside of the right hand post (14.).
Freiburg clinical in front of goal
Ronny sent several free kicks into the Freiburg box, but found no takers. The home side looked useful as they combined going forward. On 28 minutes such a combination saw Stocker beak strongly down the right before playing a ball inside to Nico Schulz. A timely Freiburg challenge was needed to clear the ball out for a corner (28). Hertha mounted a swift counter attack which ended in a weak Kalou effort from 20 metres out being easily dealt with the SC keeper (37.). The home side struggled to breach the disciplined Freiburg defence so the visitors led 1-0 at halftime.
Roy Beerens replaced Schulz after the break, and Kalou could have equalised as the second half was only seconds old, narrowly failing to connect with a good ball played into him by Schieber (46.). Once again it would be the visitors who would find the back of the net, as former Hertha man Maximilian Philipp nodded home from a corner following slack marking by the home side (52.). Hertha continued to press forward and Schieber won possession in midfield before Stocker forrced a save out of Bürki. The keeper could only parry his shot to the side and Kalou missed the target following up with a shot from an acute angle (57.). Dardai then brought on Hajime Hosogai for Ronny after around an hour.
Lots of possession - few chances
Freiburg got all ten men behind the ball and Hertha continued to struggle to break them down, so John Anthony Brooks tried his luck with a long distance effort which Bürki only controlled at the second attempt (69.). Sandro Wagner replaced Kalou but nothing changed. The visitors defended doggedly and waited to hit Hertha on the counter attack, none of which threatened the goal being kept by Thomas Kraft. The home side should have scored as a Skjelbred corner was not cleared. The ball was only a couple of metres out but nobody could poke it home (87.) and SC cleared their lines.
There were four minutes added on at the end of the game and Kraft was called into action to thwart Freiburg substitute Jonathan Schmid. Then the referee blew time on a bitter 0-2 defeat on Pal Dardai's home debut. Hertha are now second bottom in the Bundesliga table, facing a bitter relegation scrap. Dardai and Co. now make the short trip up the motorway to high-flying VfL Wolfsburg next Sunday (22.02.15), where in form striker Bas Dost and new signing from Chelsea - World Cup winner Andre Schürrle await them on matchday 22.
(rd,war/City-Press)
Dardai played Per Skjelbred alone in front of the back four while Ronny and Valentin Stocker operated further up field. After the opening few minutes, Hertha pushed the visitors back in their own half. A Ronny free kick found Schieber, but the Berlin striker was denied by SC keeper Roman Bürki, after he got a shot in from an acute angle (5.). Then Kalou won the ball against Darida in midfield before sending a through ball to the feet of Stocker inside the opposing box. Sadly the Swiss midfielder failed to control the ball and a decent chance was missed (11.) The Black Forest-based visitors then took the lead with their opening chance of the game, as Karim Guedé played a ball into the Berlin area where Felix Klaus got a boot to it and send it into the back of the net off the inside of the right hand post (14.).
Freiburg clinical in front of goal
Ronny sent several free kicks into the Freiburg box, but found no takers. The home side looked useful as they combined going forward. On 28 minutes such a combination saw Stocker beak strongly down the right before playing a ball inside to Nico Schulz. A timely Freiburg challenge was needed to clear the ball out for a corner (28). Hertha mounted a swift counter attack which ended in a weak Kalou effort from 20 metres out being easily dealt with the SC keeper (37.). The home side struggled to breach the disciplined Freiburg defence so the visitors led 1-0 at halftime.
Roy Beerens replaced Schulz after the break, and Kalou could have equalised as the second half was only seconds old, narrowly failing to connect with a good ball played into him by Schieber (46.). Once again it would be the visitors who would find the back of the net, as former Hertha man Maximilian Philipp nodded home from a corner following slack marking by the home side (52.). Hertha continued to press forward and Schieber won possession in midfield before Stocker forrced a save out of Bürki. The keeper could only parry his shot to the side and Kalou missed the target following up with a shot from an acute angle (57.). Dardai then brought on Hajime Hosogai for Ronny after around an hour.
Lots of possession - few chances
Freiburg got all ten men behind the ball and Hertha continued to struggle to break them down, so John Anthony Brooks tried his luck with a long distance effort which Bürki only controlled at the second attempt (69.). Sandro Wagner replaced Kalou but nothing changed. The visitors defended doggedly and waited to hit Hertha on the counter attack, none of which threatened the goal being kept by Thomas Kraft. The home side should have scored as a Skjelbred corner was not cleared. The ball was only a couple of metres out but nobody could poke it home (87.) and SC cleared their lines.
There were four minutes added on at the end of the game and Kraft was called into action to thwart Freiburg substitute Jonathan Schmid. Then the referee blew time on a bitter 0-2 defeat on Pal Dardai's home debut. Hertha are now second bottom in the Bundesliga table, facing a bitter relegation scrap. Dardai and Co. now make the short trip up the motorway to high-flying VfL Wolfsburg next Sunday (22.02.15), where in form striker Bas Dost and new signing from Chelsea - World Cup winner Andre Schürrle await them on matchday 22.
(rd,war/City-Press)