Teams | August 17, 2019 at 02:52 AM
Taking home a hard-fought point
Taking home a hard-fought point
Hertha BSC started the season by taking a point from record champions Bayern München in a match characterized by bravery, skill and courage.
Munich/Berlin – Fans of Bundesliga football have had to go without thrilling duels, wild celebrations and gripping matches for 90 long days. But, the waiting during the summer break has paid off. The start of the 57th Bundesliga season on Friday night (16.08.19) had plenty to offer, especially for the Blue-Whites. The capital city club was able to win a point off Bayern München (2-2) after a passionate, skilful and courageous performance. On the night of Ante Covic’s debut as head coach of a Bundesliga club, his side managed to stage a comeback and held the lead until the 60th minute, before the record champions were able to equalise. “Bayern München are the best team in Germany. Facing them is one of the most difficult tasks for a team. As a result, we’re happy with the 2-2 draw, knowing that we had to get through several critical moments,” Covic said about the result.
The statistics told a clear story ahead of the match: record champions Bayern would open the season for the seventh time in a row, having won their last six opening day matches with an impressive goal record of 25-4. A look at Hertha’s record wouldn’t exactly fill the team with confidence. In their last 34 matches against Bayern, the Old Lady has a record of 27 losses, five draws and just two wins (most recently in October 1977). “Over the last few weeks, we’ve been telling the lads that they have to believe in themselves. It’s clear that we wouldn’t come to Munich and dominate the match as we might have hoped, but it’s important to believe that you can upset your opponent in some way,” said Covic. The match was also a special one for the 43-year-old, as he faced off on the touchline against a fellow Croatian, old friend and former Herthaner in Bayern head coach Niko Kovac.
Success after changing formations
The reunion with an old friend took a slight downturn after Bayern took the lead through Robert Lewandowski (24’). Up to that point, the Blue-Whites had been playing a 3-5-2 formation and had been strong on defense against constant pressure from Bayern. However, Hertha were unable to create many chances for themselves on offense. “We quickly switched to a 4-3-3, because we weren’t strong enough up front. It worked, as we started pressuring Bayern deeper in their own half,” said Lukas Klünter of his impressions from on the pitch.
It’s a bit of an understatement from the right-back, as Hertha were able to equalise off a deflected shot from Dodi Lukebakio (36’) before Marko Grujic nabbed the lead for his side just two minutes later (38’). “I’m very happy with my goal,” said Lukebakio, who has now scored four times against Bayern – as often as a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. When it came to his goal, the 21-year-old got a helping hand from his captain’s back. “I felt the ball coming and deflected it, but that’s not important,” said Vedad Ibisevic with a grin. As a result, the attacker had a hand in both of Hertha’s goals, after setting up Grujic’s goal with a through pass. “I collided with Pavard, but was able to continue playing and to thankfully score,” said Hertha’s number 15, who had to undergo treatment after scoring.
The Serbian midfielder continued to be at the forefront for Hertha in the second half, despite picking up a black eye from the collision with Pavard. After a scuffle with Lewandowski, referee Harm Osmers consulted with the video assistant referee and awarded Bayern a penalty. The rest is old news. Bayern converted from the spot and continued to press, but Hertha were able to keep up, with the team covering a total distance of nearly 120 kilometres in order to secure the first point of the season. “The draw is a great start to our Bundesliga season, but I’m not pleased with the penalty and Bayern’s subsequent equaliser. Lewandowski was able to use that situation in the box to his advantage. I will learn from this,” Grujic said after the match. Veteran Ibisevic was able to sum up the team’s feelings about the match. “Looking at how we worked together as a team, that was great. It’s always disappointing to not win in the end after putting everything into a performance like that, but we are satisfied with the one point,” said the Bosnian, and added: “We came into the match with this mindset, which is the only way you can win against that kind of opponent. We need to collectively give it our all and hope that we have a bit of luck – nonetheless, I’m proud of the lads!” The focus now shifts to next Sunday’s home game against VfL Wolfsburg (25.08.19 at 18:00 CEST), where the Blue-Whites will once again look to stage a similar effort.
The statistics told a clear story ahead of the match: record champions Bayern would open the season for the seventh time in a row, having won their last six opening day matches with an impressive goal record of 25-4. A look at Hertha’s record wouldn’t exactly fill the team with confidence. In their last 34 matches against Bayern, the Old Lady has a record of 27 losses, five draws and just two wins (most recently in October 1977). “Over the last few weeks, we’ve been telling the lads that they have to believe in themselves. It’s clear that we wouldn’t come to Munich and dominate the match as we might have hoped, but it’s important to believe that you can upset your opponent in some way,” said Covic. The match was also a special one for the 43-year-old, as he faced off on the touchline against a fellow Croatian, old friend and former Herthaner in Bayern head coach Niko Kovac.
Success after changing formations
The reunion with an old friend took a slight downturn after Bayern took the lead through Robert Lewandowski (24’). Up to that point, the Blue-Whites had been playing a 3-5-2 formation and had been strong on defense against constant pressure from Bayern. However, Hertha were unable to create many chances for themselves on offense. “We quickly switched to a 4-3-3, because we weren’t strong enough up front. It worked, as we started pressuring Bayern deeper in their own half,” said Lukas Klünter of his impressions from on the pitch.
It’s a bit of an understatement from the right-back, as Hertha were able to equalise off a deflected shot from Dodi Lukebakio (36’) before Marko Grujic nabbed the lead for his side just two minutes later (38’). “I’m very happy with my goal,” said Lukebakio, who has now scored four times against Bayern – as often as a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. When it came to his goal, the 21-year-old got a helping hand from his captain’s back. “I felt the ball coming and deflected it, but that’s not important,” said Vedad Ibisevic with a grin. As a result, the attacker had a hand in both of Hertha’s goals, after setting up Grujic’s goal with a through pass. “I collided with Pavard, but was able to continue playing and to thankfully score,” said Hertha’s number 15, who had to undergo treatment after scoring.
The Serbian midfielder continued to be at the forefront for Hertha in the second half, despite picking up a black eye from the collision with Pavard. After a scuffle with Lewandowski, referee Harm Osmers consulted with the video assistant referee and awarded Bayern a penalty. The rest is old news. Bayern converted from the spot and continued to press, but Hertha were able to keep up, with the team covering a total distance of nearly 120 kilometres in order to secure the first point of the season. “The draw is a great start to our Bundesliga season, but I’m not pleased with the penalty and Bayern’s subsequent equaliser. Lewandowski was able to use that situation in the box to his advantage. I will learn from this,” Grujic said after the match. Veteran Ibisevic was able to sum up the team’s feelings about the match. “Looking at how we worked together as a team, that was great. It’s always disappointing to not win in the end after putting everything into a performance like that, but we are satisfied with the one point,” said the Bosnian, and added: “We came into the match with this mindset, which is the only way you can win against that kind of opponent. We need to collectively give it our all and hope that we have a bit of luck – nonetheless, I’m proud of the lads!” The focus now shifts to next Sunday’s home game against VfL Wolfsburg (25.08.19 at 18:00 CEST), where the Blue-Whites will once again look to stage a similar effort.