Highlights
H. Osmers
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0:20
WATCH: REIS: "WE HAVE TO STAY FOCUSED"
0:14
WATCH: CHRISTENSEN: "I'M SURE WE CAN STAY IN THE BUNDESLIGA"
0:19
WATCH: GLATZEL: "IF WE PLAY LIKE THIS AGAIN, WE HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF BEING PROMOTED"
90'
+ 5
ADVANTAGE HAMBURG
It's only half-time in the tie, but HSV have the edge thanks to Reis' second-half goal. They'll be confident of finishing the job on their own patch with their own fans behind them in the second leg on Monday. Hertha lacked incision going forward and will need a far greater cutting edge in that game if they are to stay up.
Full-time
End of second half
90'
+ 3
GYAMERAH GOES CLOSE
The substitute sprints the length of the pitch on the counter and when Glatzel's deflected shot falls kindly to him, he twists and turns inside the box before shooting low at goal. It's straight at Christensen though, and the goalkeeper saves well.
90'
+ 1
ADDED TIME
We're into the first of four added minutes of stoppage time.
90'
+ 1
FORTIFYING THE BACK
HSV are winding down the clock with one more substitution, bringing off attacking midfielder Kittel for the more defensive Gyamerah.
90'
+ 1
Substitution
88'
ATTACK THE BEST FORM OF DEFENCE
HSV are pressing Hertha high up the pitch, forcing them to play passes backwards and sideways. They're comfortably dealing with everything Hertha can throw at them right now.
84'
HAMBURG IN CONTROL
80'
LATE TWIST?
Belfodil makes way for Maolida up front and the newcomer will provide the HSV defenders with a different set of challenges to the strong, physical Belfodil. Nimble, agile, quick and a good dribbler, he's exactly the kind of player you don't want to face with tiring legs in the last 10 minutes of a game.
80'
Substitution
79'
OVER FROM KITTEL
Lovely footwork on the edge of the Hertha box from the HSV attacker to create a yard of space for a shot, shifting his weight one way then the next. He catches his effort well but it's always rising and whistles over Christensen's goal.
75'
VAGNOMAN HAS A GO
The HSV midfielder tries his luck from 25 yards out but drags his low shot wide of the post.
74'
JATTA OFF
Worrying for HSV as Jatta limps off with an injury, to be replaced by Danish forward Kaufmann, who hit two goals and one assist in 26 Bundesliga 2 outings this past season.
73'
Substitution
70'
HERTHA SWITCHING THINGS UP
With 20 minutes to go in this first leg, Magath makes a double substitution. Richter, a lively attacking midfielder, is now on for Serdar, while Gechter replaces Stark in a more defensive role.
70'
Substitution
70'
Substitution
REIS, REIS, BABY
© Martin Rose/Getty Images
66'
BAD OMEN FOR HERTHA
The Old Lady only managed to pick up at least a point from a losing position three times in the Bundesliga in 2021/22, the lowest return of all teams. If there was ever a time to buck that trend, it would be now...
63'
EFFICIENT
Goal attempts
3off target
2on target
3off target
1on target
61'
BIG SAVE!
Belfodil wriggles free inside the HSV box on the right and quickly gets a left-footed shot away. There's some venom behind it but goalkeeper Heuer Fernandes is well placed to paw it clear.
58'
Substitution
57'
HSV LEAD!
Jovetic will be wincing now after missing that chance! Patient build-up from Hamburg down the left and there appears to be little danger when Muheim slides in a pass for Reis. His miscues his attempted cross and it sails over Christensen and into the net! A huge slice of luck involved there, but they all count!
Goal probability 
Goal probability
Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.
56'
WIDE FROM JOVETIC!
A cross from the left is only cleared as far as Jovetic, unmarked and about 10 yards out. He seems to take an age to set his feet though, and is rushed by the time he eventually gets a shot away. It lacks power and rolls just wide of the left-hand post.
51'
OVER FROM SERDAR
Jovetic draws three or four defenders to him as he tries to make something of a cross from the left. The ball falls kindly to Serdar, who shots with his left foot on the turn, but he's slipping backwards as he does so and the ball blazes well over the target.
48'
NICE TRY FROM REIS
The HSV midfielder dinks a clever reverse pass into the Hertha box. It looks promising, but the hosts manage to clear.
46'
UNDER WAY AGAIN
Hertha kick-off the second half, with Jovetic now on the pitch for Wollschläger.
Kick-off!
45'
+ 4
Substitution
45'
+ 4
ALL STILL TO PLAY FOR
It's been an entertaining if cautious affair so far as both teams employ safety first tactics. They've both had some promising attacks, with Belfodil's disallowed header the closest we've come to a goal, but surely this one will open up more in the second half.
Half-time
45'
+ 3
TOUSART HAS A GO
The midfielder drives into the middle from the left and shoots from the edge of the box, but it's straight at Heuer Fernandes, who makes the save.
45'
BELFODIL GOAL DISALLOWED
A brilliant left-footed cross from Mittelstädt on the left finds Belfodil on the edge of the six-yard box. He's evaded his marker and tucks a fine header into the net, but he was marginally offside and the goal won't stand.
44'
SituationNo goal
ReviewOffside?
DecisionNo goal
40'
GLATZEL HITS THE SIDE NETTING!
Boyata only half clears a Jatta cross from the right and the ball lands straight at the feet of Rohr on the right-hand corner of the Hertha box. He floats a cross to the back post to Glatzel, who can only direct his header into the side netting from a tight angle! It was a tough one, but that's the best chance of the game so far.
37'
HEYER BOSSING IT
Duels won
6
10
Lucas Tousart Moritz Heyer
35'
NO PENALTY
The official reviews the footage and decides play should go on!
34'
VAR CHECK
Referee Harm Osmers is checking his pitch-side monitor for a potential handball as Glatzel's shot hit Pekarik on its way through.
33'
CHANCE FOR GLATZEL
The Hamburg striker finds space in the left-hand side of the box and gets a shot away, but Christensen sticks out a leg to produce a big block.
31'
HERTHA CAUTIONED
Two bookings in quick succession for the hosts as they attempt to show who's boss, the latter for Tousart who crunches into the lively Jatta.
30'
SituationNo penalty
ReviewHandball?
DecisionNo penalty
26'
HERTHA STARTING TO PUSH
The match is beginning to open up more now and Hertha are trying to put their visitors under pressure. They strung together some neat passing moves in midfield, albeit without making much headway in the final third. HSV meanwhile are looking threatening on the break, particularly through Jatta.
22'
JET-HEELED JATTA
Fastest runner (km/h)
31.61
34.21
Maximilian Mittelstädt Bakery Jatta
NO HOLDS BARRED
© Martin Rose/Getty Images
18'
TEASING FROM PLATTENHARDT
Hertha win a free-kick wide on the left. Plattenhardt whips it into the box, looking for Belfodil, but Vuskovic just gets there first and heads clear.
16'
FIRST GLIMPSE
Belfodil makes a nuisance of himself as he dribbles into the box on the left. He takes on one defender and tries to go around another but is stopped in his tracks. He appeals for a penalty but the referee waves for play to continue.
15'
HAMBURG EDGING IT
11'
HERTHA IN A 4-4-2
Starting debutant Wollschläger is operating alongside Belfodil up top, with Hertha in a 4-4-2 formation, with Serdar wide on the right of midfield and Mittelstädt on the left. The last time they used this formation was against Fürth in mid-February.
8'
SERDAR NOT HOLDING BACK
The Hertha midfielder crunches into a tackle with Schonlau. He's a tad late, but it's typical of the early tone of the game so far.
4'
CAGEY SO FAR
With so much at stake, it's understandable that neither side is really willing to be gung-ho in these opening stages. They're still feeling each other out right now.
1'
AND WE'RE OFF!
Hamburg, dressed all in red, get the ball rolling in Berlin! Here we go!
Kick-off!
PLAYERS ON THE PITCH
The atmosphere is bouncing in Berlin as the teams take to the field. We'll have the coin toss and then we'll be under way!
37 DIFFERENT PLAYERS FOR HERTHA
Christensen will be the 37th different player to take to the pitch for Hertha this season. Only Schalke have ever fielded more players in a single campaign, reaching 42 in 2020/21.
3:30
WATCH: HAMBURG'S LAST RELEGATION PLAY-OFF TIE ENDED IN JOY
TEAM NEWS - HSV
Hamburg boss Tim Walter has only made one change to his side following the 3-2 win over Hansa Rostock on Sunday: Maximilian Rohr, who has only made two starting appearances in Bundesliga 2, comes in for Joshua Vagnoman.
TEAM NEWS - HERTHA
The big news is the injury to goalkeeper Marcel Lotka forcing him to sit this one out, opening the door to 23-year-old Oliver Christensen to make his first competitive senior appearance. Magath has also opted to throw 19-year-old midfielder Wollschläger in at the deep end for his starting debut, having previously only played 14 Bundesliga minutes across two cameo appearances on Matchdays 32 and 33. In defensive midfield, Niklas Stark replaces the suspended Santiago Ascacibar alongside Lucas Tousart.
HERTHA STARTING XI
Christensen - Pekarik, Boyata (c), Kempf, Plattenhardt - Tousart, Stark - Wollschläger, Serdar, Mittelstädt - Belfodil
HERTHA SUBS
Körber, Bjorkan, Darida, Myziane, Jovetic, Richter, Boateng, Eitschberger, Gechter
HSV STARTING XI
Heuer Fernandes – Heyer, Vuskovic, Schonlau (c), Muheim – Reis, Meffert, Rohr - Jatta, Glatzel, Kittel
HSV SUBS
Mickel, Gyamerah, Kinsombi, Chakvetadze, Kaufmann, Wintzheimer, Vagnoman, David, Alidou
2:03
PREVIOUS MEETING: HSV 1-2 HERTHA
HEAD-TO-HEAD
These teams have faced each other 82 times overall, most recently in the 2017/18 Bundesliga season, when Hertha won 2-1 both home and away. Overall, the Old Lady narrowly hold the upper hand historically with 35 wins to HSV's 34 (13 draws), with 126 goals scored to 131 conceded.
BIG DAY FOR MAGATH
© IMAGO/Revierfoto/IMAGO/Revierfoto
HELLO AND WELCOME!
Here. We. Go. Hertha Berlin and Hamburg are poised to lock horns in the first leg of their Bundesliga promotion/relegation play-off at the Olympiastadion in the German capital today, each team hoping to lay a solid foundation for ahead of decisive second leg in Hamburg on Monday. Stay tuned for live build-up, team news and match coverage!