Hamburg - Anderlecht 3-1

Anderlecht, without the injured Boussoufa, lost in Hamburg this evening. The Germans won with three goals to one, though it could have been all different for Anderlecht that wasn't weaker than the home side.


The game took a slow start. Hamburg had more ball possession, but Anderlecht lurked dangerously on the counter attack. There weren't many chances in the game. The Belgian defence stood strong and Hamburg lacked the power to break through.

Though the home side opened the score halfway the first half. A corner kick was deflected and the ball landed with a lot of luck in the feet of Matthijsen, who scored.

Anderlecht tried to react, but without playmaker Boussoufa, Lukaku received few good passes. The goal fell on the other side, when Van Nistelrooy pushed the ball against the net, via the post, from an impossible angle.

The Mauves reacted and equalised short before half time with a fantastic free kick of Jonathan Legear: 2-1 at half time.

The second half was more or less a copy of the first half. Hamburg had the ball and Anderlecht dangerously counter attacked. Van Nistelrooy scored, but he was flagged for offside. From then on, Hamburg took control without creating lots of chances. Though they managed to score a third when a shot from outside the box went in.

Anderlecht reacted furiously with Lukaku opening for Legear. The winger was alone in front of the goalkeeper, but missed the huge opportunity to bring him team back into the game. One minute later, he had another good chance, but his effort was stopped by goalkeeper Rost...