Friendly defeat against Holstein Kiel

Hertha BSC lost 3-1 to second-division side Holstein Kiel on Thursday afternoon (21/03). Vedad Ibišević scored the only goal for Hertha.

Berlin – Hertha BSC faced 2. Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel on Thursday afternoon (21/03) in a friendly at the Stadion auf dem Wurfplatz/Amateurstadion, losing 3-1. Twelve first-team players were away on international duty, while Davie Selke, Karim Rekik, Pascal Köpke and Javairô Dilrosun all missed the game due to injuries, while Pál Dárdai left out Thomas Kraft (neck injury) and Marko Grujić (calf). As a result, the head coach had 16 players available to him, with a number of those coming from the U23 and U19 sides.

The makeshift side started the game well and won plenty of early tackles, resulting in a first chance eight minutes in. Salomon Kalou and Fabian Lustenberger combined on the right-hand side, however Jessic Ngankam couldn’t control Lustenberger’s cross towards the front post. Seven minutes later, the guests from Kiel had their first chance. Franck Evina put his effort just wide of the Hertha goal (14’). At the other end, Mathew Leckie tried his luck with a long-distance effort (15’). Evina then gave Kiel the lead in the 18th minute, before Heinz Mörschel doubled their lead in the 31st. Their 2-0 lead didn’t last long: Captain Vedad Ibišević forced one home in the 36th minute, meaning that it was 2-1 at half-time.

The second half began with some positive news: Marius Gersbeck made his comeback in goal after a lengthy period on the sidelines out injured. Jessic Ngankam then had two notable chances to equalise (54’ & 61’) and then Marvin Plattenhardt had a shot blocked eight minutes later. Nikos Zografakis’ rebound was blocked for a corner, which saw Will Siakam narrowly miss another chance (70’). 15 minutes before the end, Masaya Okugawa had the chance to seal the game, but failed to keep his shot down. Gersbeck then made a fine saw in the 80th minute, drawing applause from the crowd in the Amateurstadion. 60 seconds later, however, Noah Awuku beat him to complete a 3-1 win for the guests (81’).

The Hertha team will train tomorrow, before having the weekend off. They will then return to train on Monday in preparation for the away game with RB Leipzig (30/03, 18:30 CET).

Line-up: Smarsch (46‘ Gersbeck), Plattenhardt, Kraeft, Ziemer, Mulack, Kalou (46‘ Zografakis), Skjelbred, Lustenberger (70’ Albrecht), Leckie (70‘ Pfeiffer), Ibišević (59‘ Siakam), Ngankam

Goals: 0-1 Evina (18’), 0-2 Mörschel (31’), 1-2 Ibišević (36’), 1-3 Awuku (81’)

Referee: Daniel Siebert (Berlin)

Venue: Stadion auf dem Wurfplatz/Amateurstadion, Berlin