Hamburg fail to get first Bundesliga win, Augsburg edge Hertha Berlin
Lewis Holtby set up Nicolai Mueller to end 508 minutes of scoreless misery for Hamburger SV Sunday but the first goal of their season did not get HSV that elusive first win of the season, nor did it lift them out the dungeon at the bottom of the Bundesliga.
Instead, Brazilian Lucas Piazon's 90th minute free kick consigned Hamburg to another defeat as Eintracht Frankfurt silenced a crowd that had been sensing something better. They had nothing to celebrate in the end, HSV beaten 2-1 to signal that the crisis is far from over.They remain in last place on two points, one fewer than Werder Bremen.
Earlier Sunday, Paul Verhaegh's penalty was the decider as Augsburg edged Hertha Berlin 1-0 to move eighth in the table.
HSV nearly got that first goal in the 27th minute, but Cleber's header to a corner was parried away by Felix Wiedweld in the Eintracht goal. Then it was Cleber's failure to deal with a Tim Chandler cross that allowed Frankfurt to take a 1-0 lead into the interval. Swiss international Haris Seferovic was alone at the top left of the box to receive the cross created from Chandler's strong run down the right. Cleber didn't cut it out, Seferovic had time and space to finish.
Mueller's goal came in the 58th minute, five minutes after Holtby had gotten around Wiedweld only to hit the near side net. This time, Holtby slipped a pass through an unsettled Frankfurt defense, Mueller was clear and made no mistake slipping the ball under Wiedweld to set off a thunderous reception from the faithful.
It seemed that the energy shown by acting boss Josef Zinnbauer's Hamburg side would see the night out for at least a point, but Piazon, on as a substitute in the 85th minute, took advantage of Petr Jiracek's foul to float a free kick to the top right corner with keeper Jaroslav Drobny rooted on his line.
It was only the second win for Eintracht and their first since the opening week of the season.
Augsburg got on top in the 26th minute when Hertha keeper Thomas Kraft caught Raul Bobadilla with his right arm and sent the attacker tumbling for a penalty. Verhaegh made no mistake from the spot.
Salomon Kalou had Hertha's best chance of the opening half, Marwin Hitz beating him with a one-hand touch-over save. Nikola Djurdjic could have gotten a second for Augsburg in first half stoppage time, but Kraft got a foot on his shot that was headed for the far corner.
Kalou had a couple of half-chances in the second half, but good covering work by Abdul Rahman Baba and Ragnar Klavan prevented him from getting in a telling shot. Hitz also was in the right spot to keep a Valentin Stocker header out in the 86th minute.
Verhaegh had to be replaced in the 71st minute when he collapsed in front of his own goal about 10 minutes after a clash of heads with Ronny. He walked off under his own power but appeared to be suffering from a stiff neck at the least.
