Teller Report

Long break due to tennis ball protest: Hamburger SV beats Hertha after a delay

2/3/2024, 10:59:46 PM

Highlights: Hamburger SV beat Hertha BSC 2-1 (0-0) in the 2nd Bundesliga. Miro Muheim and Haris Tabakovic scored for the North Germans. Substitute Ludovit Reis scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute. The result was only determined shortly after 11 p.m. local time. The game was delayed by half an hour due to a tennis ball protest by Berlin fans. The Berlin fans threw tennis balls onto the field to protest against the investor entry decided by the German Football League.

It was raining tennis balls: In Berlin, the fan protest against the DFL's investor plans has reached a new dimension. After the restart, Hamburger SV scored important points in the promotion battle.


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Ludovit Reis heads in with full force to give Hamburg victory

Photo: Maja Hitij / Getty Images

Hamburger SV has benefited from the mistakes of the competition in the 2nd Bundesliga and is back in second place in the table behind city rivals FC St. Pauli. The North Germans won 2-1 (0-0) against Bundesliga relegated Hertha BSC. After Berlin striker Haris Tabakovic (62nd minute) was able to give a quick answer to Miro Muheim's opening goal (57th), substitute Ludovit Reis made everything clear for HSV with a header in the final phase (82nd).

The result was only determined shortly after 11 p.m. local time. The reason was a game delay of around half an hour. In the first round, fans from the guest block threw tennis balls onto the field to protest against the investor entry decided by the German Football League. After the break, the home fans did the same - and just didn't stop.

Banners with slogans like “Finally stop investor madness, whether in the DFL or in the clubs” could be seen in the Hertha curve. Coach Pál Dárdai and captain Toni Leistner went to the Berlin fans to mediate. Referee Daniel Schlager sent the teams back to the dressing rooms and the playing time was reset from minute 75 to minute 53. After another ten minutes of break and a short warm-up, the game continued.

The interruption was surprisingly good for the pace of the game: Muheim first scored with a hidden shot from distance (57'), and in direct return Tabakovic scored after Daniel Heuer Fernandes had only been able to fend off a shot from substitute Fabian Reese. Joker Reis headed the winning goal just two minutes after coming on as a substitute (82').

With the win, HSV leaves Holstein Kiel (1:1 against Magdeburg) and Greuther Fürth (2:3 against St. Pauli) behind. Hertha BSC remains tenth in the table.

cev/dpa