Sportinglife - Hamburg remained solid
defensively in collecting a 1-0 victory at home against Wolfsburg on Sunday
to put more room between themselves and the relegation zone.
Mehdi Mahdavikia scored the game's only goal at the hour mark for Hamburg,
who have given up just one goal in their last seven games.
Huub Stevens' team have now collected five victories and two draws in their
last seven matches, improving to 32 points and 10th place - three points
from the drop zone.
The Dutchman decided to coach his Hamburg side on Sunday despite his wife
being seriously ill in his homeland. Stevens missed most of training during
the week and returned to northern Germany on Saturday.
Wolfsburg suffered just their second loss in nine games but dropped to 11th
place, even on 32 points with Hamburg.
Hamburg were dominant throughout the first half but couldn't find the goal.
Raphael van der Vaart struck the bar in the 23rd minute after running onto a
long bouncing ball and lobbing Wolfsburg goalkeeper Simon Jentzsch.
Van der Vaart hit the right post four minutes after the re-start, trying to
beat Jentzsch to the near corner from nine yards out.
Wolfsburg's first real chance came in the 54th minute when Jonathan Santana
hit the cross bar with a long-range shot from 28 yards.
But Hamburg finally scored at the hour mark. Van der Vaart backheeled the
ball to David Jarolim, whose shot was blocked down by Jentzsch but the
rebound went directly to Mahdavikia, who pounced on the ball from five yards
out.
That seemed to finally wake up Wolfsburg.
Hamburg keeper Frank Rost was forced to fend off two good long-range chances
by Marcelinho in the 73rd and 77th minutes. Two minutes later Rost had to
deflect over his goal a shot by Diego Klimowicz, but Hamburg managed to hang
on.
