An unfamiliar feeling
An unfamiliar feeling
Good start by the hosts
At first, the game did not appear to be heading towards a defeat. Pekarik’s opener was the reward for a good performance in the first half by Pal Dárdai’s men. Aggressive pressing from Hertha in the opening 45 minutes saw Hoffenheim unable to find their rhythm. “We played well in the first half. We wanted to give TSG more possession and then try to catch them on the counter,” revealed Sebastian Langkamp. A tactic that worked in defence as well at first: Hertha defended cleverly and made crucial blocks like Maximilian Mittelstädt clearing Benjamin’s Hübner off the line after ten minutes.
“That happens in football”
Unfortunately, Mittelstädt remained in the spotlight and his next defensive effort resulted in a yellow card and penalty for Hoffenheim, as he handled the ball inside the area. TSG’s Kramaric slotted home for the equaliser after 39 minutes. “It was very unfortunate. The ball just fell onto my hand,” assured Mittelstädt after the game. Team mate Per Skjelbred defended his colleague: “That happens in football. We just didn’t have luck on our side.”
The second half in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium was completely open as both teams created chances. Just ahead of the hour-mark, Hoffenheim’s Nadiem Amiri went down from a challenge by Mittelstädt and referee Benjamin Brand issued a second booking to leave Hertha with just ten men and more than 30 minutes left to play. “It was a decent performance until we had a player sent off,” admitted Pekarik. “With eleven players we could’ve given them a fight, but with ten men it becomes difficult.”
Hoffenheim increase the pressure
Dárdai tried to insert new impulses by replacing Vedad Ibisevic and Kalou with Jordan Torunarigha and Genki Haraguchi, but Hertha struggled now and Hoffenheim were pushing to take the lead. In the course of a few seconds Kramric and Kerem Demirbay struck the woodwork three times as eventually Germany international Niklas Süle found the target with a firm strike from distance after 76 minutes. Hertha attempted to stage a late comeback but instead were caught on the counter with Kramaric converting for the 3-1 final scoreline.
“This defeat hurts of course. After the sending off we didn’t create any more chances,” said a disappointed manager Dárdai after the game. “Congratulations to Hoffenheim on a deserved win,” he added. There isn’t a lot of time for Hertha to dwell on this defeat, as they will be hosted by Borussia Mönchengladbach on Wednesday already looking to get back on track. Mittelstädt and Ibisevic will not be on board, after the skipper picked up his fifth booking of the season against TSG. Making matters worse, Dárdai now owes Pekarik a debt from a bet they had going on. “The manager told me before the game that he would take a nice long jog around the Olympic Stadium if I score a goal,” laughed Pekarik. “He said he would do it after the game. I’m looking forward to it.”