October 17, 2009
Bayer 04 defend in style
Rock solid defence secures draw
The Werkself fight to gain a point away to Hamburg SV. The hosts dominated possession for much of the match but Jupp Heynckes team produced an impressive defensive display to keep HSV out. The outstanding Samy Hyypiä and Stefan Kießling had two great chances in the final minutes of the game but HSV keeper Frank Rost pulled off two superb saves.
Jupp Heynckes made one change to the side that beat FC Nürnberg 4-0 in the last Bundesliga match. Toni Kroos made way for Renato Augusto.
Hamburg, seeking to bag the win that would have taken them above Bayer 04, were first out of the blocks and succeeded in forcing Bayer onto the back foot. Leverkusen were well-organised at the back but were unable to make little headway in attack.
Defence kept busy
HSV had the first goalscoring opportunity on 10 minutes through Tolgay Arslan. The rock solid Bayer defence marshalled by Samy Hyypiä then succeeded in blunting the Hamburg attack.
The Werkself came into the game on the half-hour mark and soon went close to breaking the deadlock. On 32 minutes Tranquillo Barnetta put Gonzalo Castro through and the Bayer defender lobbed the ball over the advancing HSV keeper Frank Rost only to see his effort go just past the post. Eren Derdiyok fired a shot at the hosts’ goal just before the break.
Patience almost pays off
The Werkself carried on with their game plan in the second half as they built on almost impenetrable defence. HSV continued to dominate possession but could not find their way through the disciplined Bayer defence. Heynckes appeared to be happy to settle for a point when he brought Kroos on to replace Derdiyok on 60 minutes.
The main action was increasingly in midfield where the two sides more or less cancelled each other out. The match then livened up just as the two teams appeared to have settled for a draw.
Hectic finish
First, Castro blocked a Tunay Torun shot from eight yards out with 11 minutes left. Simon Rolfes had a chance at the other end two minutes later but his header flew just over the bar.
Rost then saved the home side from defeat. He first kept out a goal-bound Hyypiä header on 86 minutes and he was on hand again just after that to deal with Stefan Kießling’s header from ten yards out.
The draw was a fair result given the hectic finish and Bayer’s excellent work at the back. Bayer 04 next defend the top spot in the Bundesliga on Friday night. Borussia Dortmund come to the BayArena in a game that kicks off at 20.30 CET.
Match stats:
Hamburg SV: Rost - Demel, Boateng, Mathijsen, Aogo, Jarolim, Ze Roberto, Trochowksi (Pitroipa 68), Elia, Berg, Arslan (Torun 39)
Bayer 04: Adler - Schwaab, Friedrich, Hyypiä, Castro, Vidal, Rolfes, Barnetta, Renato Augusto (Reinartz 71), Kießling, Derdiyok (Kroos 59 )
Goals:-
Booked:Demel - Barnetta, Vidal, Kießling
Referee:Florian Meyer (Burgdorf)
Attendance: 57,000 (capacity - HSH Nordbank Arena, Hamburg)
Jupp Heynckes made one change to the side that beat FC Nürnberg 4-0 in the last Bundesliga match. Toni Kroos made way for Renato Augusto.
Hamburg, seeking to bag the win that would have taken them above Bayer 04, were first out of the blocks and succeeded in forcing Bayer onto the back foot. Leverkusen were well-organised at the back but were unable to make little headway in attack.
Defence kept busy
HSV had the first goalscoring opportunity on 10 minutes through Tolgay Arslan. The rock solid Bayer defence marshalled by Samy Hyypiä then succeeded in blunting the Hamburg attack.
The Werkself came into the game on the half-hour mark and soon went close to breaking the deadlock. On 32 minutes Tranquillo Barnetta put Gonzalo Castro through and the Bayer defender lobbed the ball over the advancing HSV keeper Frank Rost only to see his effort go just past the post. Eren Derdiyok fired a shot at the hosts’ goal just before the break.
Patience almost pays off
The Werkself carried on with their game plan in the second half as they built on almost impenetrable defence. HSV continued to dominate possession but could not find their way through the disciplined Bayer defence. Heynckes appeared to be happy to settle for a point when he brought Kroos on to replace Derdiyok on 60 minutes.
The main action was increasingly in midfield where the two sides more or less cancelled each other out. The match then livened up just as the two teams appeared to have settled for a draw.
Hectic finish
First, Castro blocked a Tunay Torun shot from eight yards out with 11 minutes left. Simon Rolfes had a chance at the other end two minutes later but his header flew just over the bar.
Rost then saved the home side from defeat. He first kept out a goal-bound Hyypiä header on 86 minutes and he was on hand again just after that to deal with Stefan Kießling’s header from ten yards out.
The draw was a fair result given the hectic finish and Bayer’s excellent work at the back. Bayer 04 next defend the top spot in the Bundesliga on Friday night. Borussia Dortmund come to the BayArena in a game that kicks off at 20.30 CET.
Match stats:
Hamburg SV: Rost - Demel, Boateng, Mathijsen, Aogo, Jarolim, Ze Roberto, Trochowksi (Pitroipa 68), Elia, Berg, Arslan (Torun 39)
Bayer 04: Adler - Schwaab, Friedrich, Hyypiä, Castro, Vidal, Rolfes, Barnetta, Renato Augusto (Reinartz 71), Kießling, Derdiyok (Kroos 59 )
Goals:-
Booked:Demel - Barnetta, Vidal, Kießling
Referee:Florian Meyer (Burgdorf)
Attendance: 57,000 (capacity - HSH Nordbank Arena, Hamburg)