High-scoring opening game: Schalke lose 3:5 against HSV - fans think Cissé's yellow card was decisive

The new Bundesliga 2 season began with an eventful match. Hamburger SV and relegated Schalke 04 opened the new season with eight goals in total, five of which came in the second half alone. In the end, HSV won the game 5:3 and can start the season with confidence. Schalke, on the other hand, were unable to turn their efficiency in front of goal into something tangible, meaning the "Royal Blues" have to cope with their first setback. With this in mind, FanQ wanted to know from the fans whether the yellow card for Cissé was the decisive factor.

Hamburg superior in terms of play

The opening match of the 50th Bundesliga 2 season was a treat for all football fans. Top-class football can also be seen in the second division, as Hamburger SV and Schalke 04 proved on Friday evening. A lively exchange of blows developed and it quickly became clear why the two teams are considered favourites for promotion. Thomas Reis, coach of the "Royal Blues", sent three new signings onto the pitch right from the start. Goalkeeper Müller, Schallenberg and Karaman moved into the starting line-up, with the latter creating the first danger in front of the Hamburg box. On the other side, the coach of the "Rothosen", Tim Walter, called four new players into his starting eleven. As a result, van der Brempt, Pherai, Öztunali and Ramos were able to show off their skills from the first minute onwards.

And things got off to a good start for Hamburg, who were rewarded for their strong opening phase as early as the 17th minute. After a lovely pass from Pherais, Glatzel managed to get the ball past Müller. Pherais almost made it 2:0 just one minute later (18th), but Müller was on hand to prevent anything worse. The next goal was to come from the other side, however, with 17-year-old debutant Ouedraogo converting the ball with a neat finish to equalise in the 22nd minute. Hamburg were not impressed by this and continued to build up pressure, but good chances within a few minutes (30th, 33rd, 36th) did not lead to another goal. Shortly before the end of the first half, another goal was scored, albeit by Schalke. Ouwejan made it 2:1 for the team from the Ruhrpott virtually out of nowhere in stoppage time (45:+1). Schalke went into the break with a somewhat fortunate lead.

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The show continued after the break, with Müller again saving from Glatzel in the 50th minute and Terodde even putting the ball in the net, albeit offside (53). Just three minutes later (56'), Cissé held Glatzel in the penalty area and the referee consequently awarded a penalty. Benes was not asked twice and scored from the spot. The score was now 2:2, but there was no sign of the game cooling down. After 60 minutes, Benes got on the scoresheet for the second time, this time not with a penalty but with a lob from play. This was not to last long, however, as Simon Terodde equalised to make it 3:3 (66') after a fine assist from Schallenberg. Anyone who thought the game would go on like this was disappointed, however, as Schalke 04 had to play outnumbered from the 71st minute onwards. Cissé was unable to control himself and was shown a yellow card after another foul. The "Royal Blues" had to play out the final 20 minutes with just ten men in order to hold on to the result. HSV were initially unable to convert their superior numbers into something usable, although they built up a lot of pressure. It was not until stoppage time that the game was finally decided, with Glatzel scoring from an acute angle to take the lead (90' +1), before Dompé scored on a counter-attack to make it 5-3 and seal the game.

In this context, FanQ wanted to know from the fans whether the late yellow card for Cissé ultimately led to the defeat. The majority of those surveyed were of this opinion (61.36 %) and believed that Schalke could have taken points from Hamburg without the sending-off. On the other hand, a fifth of respondents (21.59 %) believe that the game would not have been won without his sending off.