Miro Muheim scored a late winner to give Hamburger SV a 1-0 home victory over VfB Stuttgart. The 28-year-old struck in the 88th minute in front of a sold-out Volksparkstadion crowd of 57,000, securing a third consecutive Bundesliga win for his side.
The result lifts HSV to ninth place in the table with nine points from six matches. Merlin Polzin's team has overcome a difficult start to the season that featured two heavy defeats and is now in strong form with four wins from its last five competitive matches. The next opponent is SC Paderborn, currently in 15th place, away on Saturday.
Muheim's decisive role
Muheim, who missed the opening games of the season due to injury and a delayed pre-season following World Cup duty, made his first start of the campaign against Stuttgart. Due to squad issues, the Swiss international, who is naturally a left-back, played in defensive midfield alongside Bilal Nadir. "He hasn't complained, he will be important for us," Polzin said about his player's new role. The manager described the goal as a "really, really cool moment at the end of the game. That's the Volkspark, how it lives."
For Muheim, it was already his second decisive contribution in a short period. The previous week, he provided an assist and scored the stoppage-time winner in the 3-2 victory at Hoffenheim. After his derby winner, he said: "Awesome how I hit it, I'm incredibly relieved - just an awesome feeling."
A balanced derby with chances
The match was evenly balanced for long periods and offered good opportunities for both sides. Yussuf Poulsen hit the post and the crossbar for HSV. At the other end, HSV goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes made a brilliant save to deny a Deniz Undav volley, with Undav later hitting the post. Ermedin Demirovic and Angelo Stiller were also dangerous for the visitors, who failed to score from 23 shots. Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß said afterwards his team had not been efficient enough.
The Hamburg players also showed team spirit. Before the match, all players wore shirts with the number 21 of captain Nicolai Remberg, who has suffered a cruciate ligament tear and faces a long layoff. Albert Sambi Lokonga also remained absent due to muscular problems.
With the win, HSV consolidates its position in the secure mid-table and looks ahead optimistically to upcoming tasks. The team's next away match at Paderborn kicks off at 15:30 on Saturday, 24 October.
First reported at sportschau.de
On Monday, manager Merlin Polzin confirmed that Miro Muheim was a candidate for a transfer in the summer. "We decided in the summer to occupy his lane differently," said Polzin. HSV had signed two new left-backs in Louis Pepe Lemke and David Møller Wolfe. Muheim, who is under contract until 2027, had interest from other clubs at the time, including Olympiacos. However, the 28-year-old has made himself indispensable with his two match-winning goals in the last two games. HSV are in ninth place with nine points.
Before the 1-0 win against Stuttgart, HSV invited a visually impaired fan to the team meeting. The club confirmed this. The fan emotionally prepared the players for the derby. HSV, in ninth place with nine points, continues its run with a fourth consecutive win.
Update, 20 October 2026 Two-time Olympic hockey champion and HSV fan Moritz Fürste warned the team against excessive optimism. "You have to be careful not to aim too high too soon," said the marketing expert. HSV, sitting ninth in the table with nine points, has won four of its last five competitive matches. The team faces 16th-placed SC Paderborn on Saturday.
Yussuf Poulsen stated after the 1-0 win against Stuttgart that he is as fit as he has been in five years. The striker said, "I am happy that I could go full throttle for an hour again." His 61 minutes of play were his longest appearance this season.
