Hamburg recorded a priceless 1-0 win away to Werder Bremen in a fantastic Uefa Cup semi final, first leg at Weserstadion.
This all-German semi final proved eventful, exciting, much disputed and was played at a high tempo from the first to the last minute.
A hugely impressive performance from Martin Jol’s HSV was rewarded by a glorious away goal that could prove decisive on the road to the final, against either Shakhtar Donetsk or Dynamo Kiev.
Thomas Schaaf’s 48th birthday was ruined by a stunning defeat that will leave the tactician with a bitter taste in the mouth. English referee Howard Webb had a busy night, with the English official giving four yellow cards.
Hamburg started the game with pace and intent, and broke the deadlock through Piotr Trochowski, who poked the ball past Tim Wiese with an Oliver Bierhoff-like predatory header after 28 minutes of play.
HSV provided an early threat on Wiese’s goal after a couple of minutes, with Ivica Olic finding space between the two centre backs and beating the offside trap, but the goalkeeper did well to deny him from close range.
At the other end, Brazilian maestro Diego responded with a 20-yard effort that was saved by Frank Rost before his team-mate Alexandros Tziolis unleashed a long-range shot over the roof of the net.
Events played out at both ends of the pitch, with Diego and Trochowski both denied by compact defensive blocks, and a moment of brilliance from Wiese prevented the visitors from opening the scoring after 20 minutes of action.
The Germany international saved his camp thanks to a lovely full-length fingertip save, while Paolo Guerrero was inches away from bagging a huge away goal from the edge of the box.
Wiese was the busier of the two keepers and he almost made a wonderful stop to deny Trochowski, but despite touching the ball he saw the striker head home Guy Demel’s splendid cross from the right channel shortly before the half-hour mark.
A mix-up in Werder’s defence then allowed Guerrero to try his luck with a little flick, but Wiese showed he is still as alert as ever when he blocked the ball with two hands.
Shortly after that, Claudio Pizarro wasted a delightful Diego pass over the top, as his crossing header ended up wide of the far post.
The start of the second half was halted by some stupid fans who used fireworks and prevented the players and fans from seeing the action properly.
Then Dennis Aogo put the pressure on the home side straight away, with the full back firing a low shot into the outside of the net. At the other end, Werder had an opportunity to level the scoring after Rost failed to block Clemens Fritz’s cross, but Hugo Almeida’s sloppy header was comfortably caught by Rost.
Schaaf’s men were determined to equalise in order to keep their chances to go through to the final alive, and the team in white and green produced clear-cut chances, with Sebastian Boenisch firing a missile of a shot just wide of the far post, and Almeida heading a lovely cross wide before being replaced by Markus Rosenberg.
HSV forward Guerrero picked up a yellow card for a clumsy challenge from behind on Fritz, which means that the Peruvian will miss the second leg.
Olic had a massive chance to knock out Werder when he beat the offside trap and presented himself in front of Wiese, but the keeper did well to save his chip before the highly disappointing Pizarro showed profligacy in front of goal.
The speedy Olic was on fire, and he offered a sumptuous pass to Jonathan Pitroipa, who missed the target by inches with a little flick, at the conclusion of a fast break.
Twenty minutes from the final whistle, Rosenberg missed a golden chance to hit the back of the net, with the Swede firing a volley above the bar when he should really have done better.
The home side pushed to salvage something from this game, but Diego, Naldo and Pizarro wasted a host of chances. Sebastian Prodl could have been the hero for Werder, with the youngster heading the ball at goal with his first touch, but Rost comfortably blocked his poor attempt.
The home fans shouted ‘penalty’ when Demel rose inside the box and touched the ball with his arm, but Webb opted against showing the spot in the 89th minute of a fantastic clash.
The pressure almost paid off in injury time when Pizarro controlled a difficult ball in the penalty area and fired a rocket from a tight angle, but Rost was quick off his line.
STAR MAN: Guy Demel (8.5/10) The French right back was as solid as rock on Thursday, with his physique that inspires respect and his commitment to the cause. The former Arsenal reserve’s crossing ability offered Hamburg a priceless away goal. Click here to check our player ratings and match stats.