Team news: Good news on the injury front allowed Mark Hughes to name a strong line-up. Wayne Bridge shook off the hamstring strain that forced him off at the Emirates, while Stephen Ireland also started after getting over the ankle problem that made him miss the Arsenal game. Craig Bellamy was to play on the right, SWP went into midfield and Danny Sturridge was up front.
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The Match: The hosts welcomed back the ineligible Nigel de Jong and the injured Vincent Kompany with a presentation and interview out on the pitch before kick off, both receiving a nice ovation from their former supporters.
The game kicked off in a cracking atmosphere, with the home fans stoked up after a sing-along session from a local band performing on a raised cherry-picker. City’s contingent of around 3,000 (plus the odd inflatable banana) responded in kind and we were all set.
And what an opening we had!! We were still in the first minute when Stephen Ireland found Robinho with a superb crossfield pass. The Brazilian delayed and delayed his return pass until the right moment, allowing the Irishman to place the ball past Rost to give us the perfect start, and a crucial away goal. The City supporters (and your correspondent) went understandably berserk. Just 38 seconds had elapsed.
Hamburg were rocked but tried to make amends straight away, with Given forced into action twice in a minute, his second save from Petric being outstanding.
The Irish stopper was in the thick of it again around eight minutes, conceding a corner with a brilliant stop from Gravgaard. From the dead ball effort Joris Mathijsen got between two defenders to nod the ball across Given, who got a hand to it – and could only watch as it trickled in just inside the post – 1-1!
Something of a lull followed, broken after a quarter of an hour when Given, already on the edge of his box, raced even further out to clear from the advancing Olic. Hamburg went close to going ahead three minutes later when a header from Pitroipa, who scored in the friendly here last July, looped over Given and rebounded off the bar.
Then it was our turn to go close, Craig Bellamy, now on the left with Robinho on the other flank, bursting into the box and drawing a good stop out of Rost. Robinho followed that on the half-hour with a good run, but it ended with a weak shot that Rost had no problems gathering. Sturridge nearly nipped in behind a defender to latch onto a Bridge cross, but the young striker could not get round it enough and the chance passed.
It was Given to the rescue again with just over a minute to the break, Trochowski sidefooting the ball goalwards after a break down the left from Olic, but he put the chance near enough to our keeper allow him to parry it away. From the corner, Olic tried an overhead kick which flew just over the bar. That was the last action of a breathless half, what would the next 45 minutes bring?
Bridge’s hamstring had flared up again, so Javi Garrido came onto replace him on the resumption.
Five minutes had gone when the home fans were screaming for a penalty, but replays showed that Micah’s tackle on Olic had been superbly timed. At the other end, SWP threaded a ball through towards Ireland, but he had put a touch too much on it and Rost collected with ease.
Bellamy and Given went into the book just before the hour, and then SWP unleashed a shot from long-range that forced Rost to make a save by diving away to his left.
Hamburg were forcing corner after corner, and on 61 minutes SWP did a fine job to clear one off the line. But the score only stayed level for another minute, when from another corner Micah Richards handled Joris Mathisen’s overhead kick. The referee pointed straight to the spot, and Piotr Trochowski it was who stepped up to slam a fine penalty right into the bottom corner to Given’s left. Within two minutes SWP had given the ball straight to Jansen, who fired a low shot inches wide of the same post.
Benjani was now on for Sturridge, his first appearance since West Brom in December, and with 13 minutes left he danced around the right-back to get into the box – but he underhit his pass, Hamburg cleared and then made City pay.
Trochowski broke down the left and crossed to substitute Jose Paulo Guerrero, who had the simple task of knocking it in past Given and high into the net. The turnaround in our fortunes was complete, and we had a few minutes to try to get a second away goal and give ourselves more of a lifeline at home next week.
For a split-second it looked like Nedum Onuoha might provide something special, going on a mazy run into Hamburg’s half but his attempt to find Benjani was blocked. Gelson Fernandes was now on for SWP, who had been battered from pillar to post all game once again. Five minutes of stoppage time were added on, but it was Hamburg who looked the more likely to add to the score line, Aogo’s raking shot from 25 yards forcing yet another good save out of Shay Given, in what turned out to be the last meaningful action of a dramatic and ultimately disappointing night for the Blues.
