Match Report
The table gap was wide: 30 points between Hamburger SV (4th, 58 pts) and Osnabrück (18th, 28 pts). Recent form flatters Osnabrück's table spot — 13th league-wide over the last five rounds while sitting 18th. Scoring rates set the scale: Hamburger SV 1.88 scored and 1.29 conceded per game, Osnabrück 0.91 and 2.03, with the league averaging 1.55.
The venue was Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, with room for 57,000 spectators. R. Hempel officiated: 59 games logged, averaging 2.3 yellow cards each. Half-time and full-time told different stories: it was 1-1 at the break, before 1 more goal closed it at 1-2.