Baden derby blues for 1899

1899 Hoffenheim made one change from the team that drew 0-0 with Hamburg last weekend as last weekend's debutant, Roberto Firmino, dropped to the bench, while Peniel Mlapa returned to the starting line-up. Meanwhile Sejad Salihovic, Boris Vukcevic and Matthias Jaissle were all ruled out with injuries. For the home side top goalscorer Papiss Demba Cissé and Cédrick Makiadi both started up front despite a few question marks during the week.

Free-flowing football at its finest

Both teams came out the gates determined to clinch all three points and chances came thick and fast in the first half from the moment the match got underway. With less than two minutes gone Tom Starke was forced into a reaction save by Heiko Butscher's header, before Ryan Babel had Oliver Baumann at full stretch with his effort from the edge of the box. Cissé then popped up for the first time in the match reacting faster than Compper to get onto a loose ball, but could only find the side netting with the shot. Freiburg were playing with an air of freedom and were the more active team in the opening stages, while Hoffenheim looked to exploit the counter-attack. Mlapa teed up Ibisevic just before the quarter hour mark; however, the Bosnian hit man missed the ball completely, before Ibertsberger's long-range attempt flew just over the bar. Babel was then presented with another chance to score his first Bundesliga goal after Braafheid's free kick caused all sorts of confusion in the Freiburg penalty area. His shot from close range was straight at Baumann though. The deadlock was broken soon after though following a moment of magic from Julian Schuster who managed to score directly from a corner, looping the ball over Starke's head and into the far corner. The goal was a severe knock back for 1899 whose biggest threats afterwards came from set pieces and even they lacked accuracy. Just after the half hour mark and they were back in the game courtesy of route one football. Ömer Toprak misjudged a long ball as Mlapa broke through only to be brought down unceremoniously by Pavel Krmas just inside the penalty area. Krmas received a red card for the reckless challenge and Vedad Ibisevic kept a cool head as he slotted straight down the middle to make it 1-1. Mlapa, who won the spot kick, was looking lively and after a Freiburg corner picked up the ball before running the length of the field. Unfortunately he couldn't provide the final ball to match the run as he looked for a teammate. Moments later and his fellow striker Ryan Babel made up for the missed opportunity by scoring his first Bundesliga goal for the Kraichgau outfit and it was a special one too. Picking the ball up on the left hand side of the box, he cut in onto his right foot before curling the ball past Baumann to give the away side the lead just before half time.

1899 let it slip as SC show character

With no changes for either side 1899 Hoffenheim once again got of to a bright start in the second half and thought they had extended their lead within the opening minutes. However, Compper's effort was ruled out for offside and this wasn't to be the last time this situation would arise. Cissé was also caught after heading past Starke, but despite their man disadvantage Freiburg found themselves level on the hour mark. Just like Krmas at the other end, Braafheid made a clumsy challenge in the box and the home team had a penalty, although the Dutchman was allowed to stay on the field unlike his counterpart. There was a dispute over the taker, but a determined Demba Cissé placed the ball on the spot before following Ibisevic's example and putting it straight down the middle to make it 2-2. The goal is his 20th this season and sees him equal Tony Yeboah's long-standing record for most goals scored by an African player in a single Bundesliga season. The equalizer took the zip out of the game somewhat as both sides gave away possession cheaply following the goal. Mlapa was then presented with a great chance to score, but made the wrong decision by pulling the ball back for substitute Gylfi Sigurdsson whose eventual shot was blocked. Freiburg were consigned to shots from distance as Schuster, Putsila and Makiadi all tried to catch Starke off guard, but the keeper was equal to those that were on target. The 1899 keeper was caught out though, with just over ten minutes remaining in the game as Freiburg showed their character by coming from a goal down with ten-men to lead 3-2. A free kick from Schuster was played into a dangerous area leading to Starke being caught in two minds. His lack of a decision cost him as Heiko Butscher got in front of his to nick the ball with his shoulder and deflect it past the keepr for the winning goal. Hoffenheim were once again made to pay for their complacency and passive attitude late on in a match as they drop down a place in the league.

 

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