| SCHIEDSRICHTER | ZUSCHAUER |
|---|---|
| Dr. Felix Brych (München) | 57181 |
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Tore |
-
|
|
7
|
Torschüsse |
10
|
|
4
|
Ecken |
4
|
|
8
|
Fouls |
11
|
|
45.80
|
Ballbesitz in % |
54.20
|
|
5
|
Abseits |
-
|
|
1
|
Gelb |
-
|
|
-
|
Gelb-Rot |
-
|
|
-
|
Rot |
-
|
AUFSTELLUNG
ERSATZBANK
TRAINER |
AUFSTELLUNG
ERSATZBANK
TRAINER |
| 78' |
| 5Stark | 78. Min |
| 58' | ||||
| 70' | ||||
| 77' | ||||
| 83' | ||||
| 86' |
| 14Donis | 33Ginczek | 58. Min | ||||||
| 19Akolo | 2Insua | 70. Min | ||||||
| 77. Min | 27Selke | 19Ibisevic | ||||||
| 31Özcan | 28Badstuber | 83. Min | ||||||
| 86. Min | 20Lazaro | 10Duda |
| 90' | 27 Gomez |
| 27Gomez | 90. Min |
VfB have made a good re-start to their Bundesliga campaign. In front of a crowd of 57,181 in the Mercedes-Benz Arena, coach Hannes Wolf’s men notched up a 1-0 win over Hertha BSC. In a game, which was evenly balanced over the course of the ninety minutes, VfB took the lead with the strangest of goals late in the tie – and Mario Gomez had a vital role to play.
Personnel
The recently injured Holger Badstuber was passed fit in time for the game and was part of VfB’s 18-man squad for the clash with Hertha. Spearheading the attack, Mario Gomez was back in the shirt with the infamous red hoop.
| 6th minute | VfB set new winter signing Mario Gomez on his way early on. Getting on the end of a cross from Christian Gentner, the 32-year-old heads just wide of the target. |
| 23rd minute | The game is extremely evenly-balanced. Both teams are operating from well-organised basic set-ups and are allowing their opponents to create very little. The visitors have their first sight of goal in the game through Valentino Lazaro, who fires his glancing shot against the foot of the post. |
| 41st minute | Fortune favours VfB! Berlin’s Arne Maier delivers a cross from the left for Salomon Kalou. The Hertha striker is totally unchallenged, but heads well over the crossbar. |
| 45th minute | The teams go into the half-time break locked in stalemate – a justified score-line considering the flow of play in the first period. Mario Gomez is caught just off-side with the best chance thus far for VfB. At the other end, Salomon Kalou lacked the necessary precision. |
| 64th minute | During the opening phases of the second-half, VfB are the more active and attackingly-minded of the two sides, although clear chances on goal have failed to materialise. Following a pacy break through Mario Gomez, Chadrac Akolo has the chance to get a shot away. The Congolese attacker fails to make a clean connection – there was more there for the taking! |
| 78th minute | VfB take the lead as the game enters the closing phase. Following a tussle ball in the area between Mario Gomez and Niklas Stark, the Berlin man turns the ball into his own net. |
| 90th minute | The VfB eleven run and battle to defend their advantage in the closing phase – and successfully so! At the end of three minutes of added-time, the 1-0 score-line continues to beam from the score-board and Hannes Wolf’s men et the New Year started ideally, with three important points. |
Ron-Robert Zieler:
I really didn’t have all that much to do in the game, because the lads in front of me defended very well. Taking all three points in the first game after the winter break is extremely important.
Summed-up
On Saturday afternoon, VfB had that all so important bit of luck on their side. Both teams looked well-organised from the outset, resulting in neither side managing to create anything of real danger in the opposition area. Both VfB as well as Berlin had their best chances on goal before the break. In the second-half, the Cannstatt Boys were the more determined and attacking of the two, although initially without really looking like creating a genuine threat on goal. However, in the closing phase, the hosts picked a hole in the Hertha defence and forced what would prove the golden-goal on the day.
