Hamburg beat Gladbach 3-1 as Muheim and Grønbæk shine

Hamburg won again on a cold Friday night at the Volksparkstadion, beating Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1, according to an analysis by Get German Football News. The three points, taken just before the international break, left HSV on 12 points, three behind Werder Bremen in a European spot.

The report noted that Gladbach played with 10 men from the 49th minute after Kou Itakura was sent off for a second yellow card. It argued the dismissal had been foreseeable, as Itakura repeatedly struggled when Albert Grønbæk tried to pass him on the right.

Miro Muheim opened the scoring, and the analysis said his positioning and diagonal movement made him a constant outlet before he found space to shoot. Grønbæk was described as HSV's half-space specialist, receiving a diagonal pass from Albert Sambi Lokonga before assisting Shafiq Nandja, and later scoring from outside the box.

The report said Gladbach's high press caused problems early but left gaps between the lines, and that their finishing let them down. It added that Alexander Blessin has only had a few weeks with the squad, with Tim Kleindienst and possibly Hugo Bolin still injured, and that Gladbach face Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen next.