Heung-Min Son reels away in celebration after scoring Hamburg's opener, with Rafael van der Vaart close behind
Heung-Min Son reels away in celebration after scoring Hamburg's opener, with Rafael van der Vaart close behind

Son sets Hamburg on course to victory

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Augsburg - Heung-Min Son hit his fifth Bundesliga goal of the season as Hamburger SV got the better of FC Augsburg 2-0 in Friday's Matchday 9 opener.

Haller remembered

A superb strike from Son caught the lively hosts cold in the first half before Artjems Rudnevs sealed Hamburg's victory just after the hour, earning Thorsten Fink's side a fourth win in their last six outings.

There was a minute's silence held before kick-off for the late Helmut Haller, who passed away two weeks ago aged 73 and formed part of the West-Germany team that reached the 1966 FIFA World Cup final and spent many years with the home side, as well as in Italy playing for Juventus and Bologna.

Augsburg started impressively following last week's goalless draw at Nuremberg, throwing bodies forward from the start. Kevin Vogt's long-range effort forced Rene Adler to full-stretch only three minutes into the game, shortly after Knowledge Musona's strike from the edge of the box swerved just past the post.

Son strikes again


Tobias Werner should have done better when Augsburg hit the visitors' defence on the counterattack, but the midfielder failed to find the target. The hosts would soon be punished for their wastefulness too as Son beat Simon Jentszch with a marvellous left-footed curler from 20 yards.

Despite Hamburg looking more confident after the goal, Augsburg did their best to maintain the pressure and came close to a leveller when Stephan Hain was denied by Rene Adler from a tight angle. The young forward failed to benefit from confusion in the HSV defence following a corner approaching the half-hour mark and, with the away side also creating chances, the missed opportunities would come at a price.

Red Shorts sharper


Indeed, Hamburg could have doubled their lead as the first half progressed, but Son couldn't just get a touch on Rafael van der Vaart's back-heeled assist after a beautiful one-two and captain Heiko Westermann headed the latter's corner over the bar just before the interval.

Werner had another chance to equalise just after restart, heading wide almost unmarked from the edge of the six yard box, yet Hamburg appeared sharper in the second half. Dennis Diekmeier hit the side netting following an energetic run and Maximilian Beister was unfortunate not to be rewarded for his fine individual effort.

Rudnevs rifles in


Nonetheless, the signs were becoming increasingly ominous for Augsburg and things eventually went from bad to worse when Van der Vaart's magnificent through ball released Rudnevs, who emphatically found the back of the net from close range.

Augsburg kept up their efforts into the latter stages but appeared to lose hope in a largely uneventful remainder and ultimately it was Hamburg who looked more likely to add to their tally. Beister twice should have made it three, but in the end the northerners were made to suffice with a 2-0 win come the whistle.

Line-ups and statistics

Felix Seaman-Höschele