HSV Resilience Not Enough in Paderborn Stalemate

Hamburger SV’s fightback against SC Paderborn once again showcased their resilience, but a 2-2 result remains below the promotion hopefuls’ expectations.

A week after recovering from a two-goal deficit in Kaiserslautern, HSV found themselves behind twice against SC Paderborn. Despite their ability to claw back both times, the result signals that resilience alone won’t carry the team to promotion. After seven matchdays, HSV has won just three games—far below the expectations for one of the Bundesliga 2’s favourites for promotion.

Head coach Steffen Baumgart is well aware of the challenges. He reflected on HSV’s past tendencies to start the season strong only to falter later, saying, “In recent years, HSV has often marched ahead with many points at this time and then crashed. Maybe we’ll do it the other way round now.” However, even Baumgart acknowledged the team’s current form leaves much to be desired, adding, “The interim result is such that we had imagined a little more.”

One of the glaring issues was the absence of first-choice goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes, out with an adductor strain. His replacement, Matheo Raab, failed to capitalize on the opportunity. Raab was involved in both of Paderborn’s goals. For the first, Daniel Elfadli’s mistake left Raab exposed, but the goalkeeper failed to deal with a weak shot from Filip Bilbija. For the second, Raab’s poor pass led directly to another Bilbija goal. His performance leaves questions about whether he can be a reliable deputy for Heuer Fernandes.

Despite these defensive mistakes, HSV showed good character, twice fighting back. Robert Glatzel and Davie Selke, who both started together up front for the first time, scored the crucial goals that kept the match level. Baumgart’s decision to start Noah Katterbach in a more defensive role on the left also paid off, especially with Katterbach providing the cross for Selke’s equalizer to make it 2-2. However, the positive moments weren’t enough to overshadow the general sense that HSV underperformed.

Selke admitted as much after the game, saying, “We showed good morale, but it’s clear that we actually wanted to win this game.” Glatzel echoed this frustration: “We want to get promoted, and to do that we have to win games like this. It wasn’t enough in the first half. You can see our quality, but it’s not enough if we only really show it in the last 20, 30 minutes.”

Glatzel’s remarks highlight the need for players like Jean-Luc Dompé to be more involved from the start. Dompé, who has become a fan favourite, made an impact off the bench, delivering several dangerous crosses in his limited minutes. As Glatzel alludes, giving Dompé more playing time could be a key to unlocking HSV’s full offensive potential, turning a willing team into one that’s capable of dominating for the full 90 minutes.

Site Opinion

Hamburger SV remains a team of promise but continues to frustrate with inconsistent performances. While their resilience is commendable, relying on late comebacks won’t be enough to secure promotion. The team has enough quality to be a dominant force in Bundesliga 2, but without tightening up defensively and showing urgency from the first whistle, their chances of finishing in the top two remain uncertain.

For HSV to finally break free from the second division, the coaching staff must address lapses in concentration and tactical indecisiveness. Players like Jean-Luc Dompé need to be integrated more fully, and Raab’s shaky performance in goal should serve as a reminder of the importance of depth in key positions. This season could still be a success, but only if the squad begins delivering the results expected of them.