Hamburg loses its Bundesliga status as VfB Stuttgart maintains it. The promotion/relegation play-off between VfB Stuttgart and Hamburg ended in a decisive 6-1 Stuttgart victory on aggregate, guaranteeing Stuttgart’s spot in the 2023–24 Bundesliga. Tim Walter’s Hamburg had to overcome a 3-0 first-leg deficit, and they got off to the right start. Shortly after Jean-Luc Dompe had swerved a free kick to test Florian Müller, Sonny Kittel slammed home an 18-yard strike off the inside of the far post to excite the home crowd. After the restart, Chris Führich came dangerously close to hushing the Volkspark-Stadion, but Daniel Heuer Fernandes stopped at his near post.
Hamburg loses its Bundesliga status as VfB Stuttgart maintains it
With 16 minutes remaining, Serhou Guirassy did precisely that with a flawless backheeled finish, but the goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR review. After being fouled by Enzo Millot in his own area while attempting to clear the ball, Heuer Fernandes nearly shot himself in the foot. In a frantic first half, Guirassy and Robert Glatzel swapped well-placed long-range attempts, while Müller had to be on guard to deny Bakery Jatta a close-range goal with a header.
The fine work done by Hamburg was undone three minutes after the restart. A second time, Guirassy contributed by gathering the ball in the penalty area and passing it to Millot, who then shot through Heuer Fernandes’ legs. Stuttgart relaxed after taking a 4-1 aggregate lead and absorbed all HSV threw at them while waiting patiently for any breakaways. One such occasion was when Heuer Fernandes botched a clearance effort, allowing Millot to complete his hat trick with a simple finish into the unguarded goal and concluding the tie as a contest.
Glatzel, Kittel, and Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer missed chances to at least cut the deficit as Stuttgart celebrated a job well done after adding a late third on the night through replacement Silas’ excellent solo effort. Port City club Hamburg has been a fixture in Bundesliga 2 for the sixth consecutive year.
