Paolo Guerrero’s 82nd-minute strike saved Hamburger SV from their first home defeat of the season, earning them a 1-1 (0-0) draw against struggling Arminia Bielefeld.
Markus Bollmann had put the visitors in front in the 72nd minute - five minutes after HSV midfielder David Jarolim was red-carded for violent conduct following an incident involving Markus Schuler. With five minutes of regular time remaining, parity was restored with the dismissal of Bielefeld’s Jörg Böhme for a second bookable offence.
Hamburg off-form
The hosts were off colour throughout, producing one of their poorest performances of the season against a defensively-orientated Arminia side.
Playmaker Rafael van der Vaart’s continuing form dip left Hamburg rudderless in midfield, with his teammates chipping in with repeated slack passing and basic mistakes. Van der Vaart had their first shot on goal with 26 minutes gone, but it was easily stopped by Bielefeld keeper Rowen Fernandez.
Bielefeld dangerous on the break
For their part, the visitors posed a constant threat with breakaways out of a tightly-knit defence. Home keeper Frank Rost was called into action to stop efforts from Thorben Marx (25) and Artur Wichniarek (30).
The closest Hamburg came to scoring, in fact, was a spectacular 50-metre attempt from Thimothee Atouba that had Fernandez scrambling back to save.
HSV stronger after the break
The home side left the pitch to jeers at half-time, and came out somewhat improved after the break. Guerrero latched onto a free-kick from van der Vaart in the 62nd minute, but headed wide in front of an open goal.
Jarolim had his moment of madness five minutes later, first faking a tumble, then grabbing Schuler where it hurts most. Five minutes after that, the guests capitalised on their superior numbers, Bollmann heading home from a corner. That prompted HSV to finally up the tempo, despite being a man down, and they were duly rewarded with Guerrero’s late equaliser.
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