Hamburg back in Bundesliga after seven-year hiatus

It finally happened. Hamburger SV will play in the Bundesliga next season after they sealed promotion with a game to spare.

When Hamburger SV faced relegation at the end of the 2017/18 season, the disappointment was largely about losing the status quo of “unrelegatable” club. However, HSV remained in second-tier football for seven years following two playoff defeats and four fourth-placed finishes throughout the years.

After their comfortable win at 1. FC Nürnberg, that streak seems to end this season, but they followed it up with only a single point from their next three games. Nonetheless, the shaky form of their rivals give Merlin Polzin’s team a chance to seal promotion before the last day of the season.

Last week’s 4-0 win over Darmstadt was a right step in this direction, and they completed the job with a home win over relegation-threatened Ulm tonight. However, they still gave their fans a hard time despite the comfortable win in the end.

Hamburg conceded the first goal of the game, and they were lucky not to go 2-1 down when Semir Telalovic missed a penalty-kick. Davie Selke was among their goal scorers as they eventually won the game 6-1.

Selke leads 2. Bundesliga scoring chart with 22 goals. Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer, who contributed with 15 goals, is another reason for HSV’s improved 2. Bundesliga form this season.

Another historic club could seal promotion next weekend as FC Köln will have a chance to return at the first time of asking with a point at home against FC Kaiserslautern.

Third-placed Elversberg, who were playing fourth-tier football in the 2021-22 season, dream of a first Bundesliga appearance either with automatic promotion or via a playoff.