Königsdörffer’s brace secures back-to-back HSV wins

Hamburger SV won back-to-back games for the first time since their long-awaited promotion to the Bundesliga.

HSV climbed over Union Berlin on goal difference after their hard-fought 3-2 win against former coach Steffen Baumgart. Ransford Königsdörffer, who scored the opening goal in last week’s 2-0 win over Heidenheim, was the star once again with a goal either side of half-time.

The visitors took the lead before the half-hour mark as Leopold Querfeld scored from a penalty-kick for the second week running. However, that wasn’t enough for Union Berlin to secure a first win of the new year.

Hamburg were 2-1 in front at half-time with the captain Nicolas Capaldo scoring in injury-time after Königsdörffer’s equalizer. Union Berlin pushed to level the score after the break, but Derrick Köhn was unlucky when the former HSV academy player was denied by the post from scoring a beautiful free-kick.

Königsdörffer extended the lead for the hosts with a brilliant finish from a difficult angle before Andrej Ilic restored the deficit at the other end. At the end, HSV held on to record their first back-to-back wins of the season. Union Berlin have been winless from the first seven games since the turn of the year.

HSV will be in search of a third straight win on Friday night on matchday 23 when they travel to face Mainz, but Luka Vušković will be absent after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season tonight. Union Berlin will entertain Bayer Leverkusen the following day.