BERLIN — Hamburger SV ground out a hard-fought 2-0 victory at relegation rival Darmstadt to get off the bottom of the table with its first Bundesliga win of the season on Sunday.
Goals in either half proved enough for Markus Gisdol’s side to move one point above Ingolstadt and one behind Darmstadt, whose coach Norbert Meier will be feeling the pressure after six straight defeats across all competitions.
Hamburg had the better of an intensive first half with Michael Gregoritsch scoring on the half-hour mark, heading in from close range after Filip Kostic whipped in a good cross.
Gregoritsch almost opened the scoring ten minutes earlier when he was just a whisker wide of the far post with the best chance up to then.
Marcel Heller and Antonio Colak were denied a good opportunity to equalize by the offside flag when TV replays showed they had been level with the last Hamburg defender.
The second half was as scrappy as the first with few highlights until Matthias Ostrzolek sealed the win in the last minute.
Both sides showed why they remain candidates for relegation this season.
In-form Eintracht Frankfurt visits defensively strong Augsburg later Sunday.