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Hoffenheim cheers after the 1-0
Photo: Sascha Meiser / imago images / Jan Huebner
At the end of the 22nd Bundesliga match day, TSG Hoffenheim won 2-0 (1-0) against Arminia Bielefeld and moved up to fifth place in the table, the guests remain in 15th place, tied with FC Augsburg in relegation rank 16.
TSG had recently suffered three defeats in a row, while Bielefeld went six games in a row without defeat.
There was nothing to be seen of this series on the pitch - Hoffenheim acted with a lot of offensive desire from the start, Bielefeld did not get access to the game.
Hübner latte, back Ortega, goal
It was logical to make it 1-0: Benjamin Hübner headed the crossbar after a cross from national player David Raum, and Arminia goalkeeper Stefan Ortega's ball bounced over the line (22nd minute).
The close 1-0 at half-time was flattering for the guests, including TSG attacker Munas Dabbur's header that went off the crossbar (42').
Hoffenheim's superiority would have been worth almost nothing after 49 minutes: Cedric Brunner hit the left post, but the assistant referee raised the flag - a tight decision.
Hoffenheim reacted immediately: Less than two minutes later, Georginio Rutter scored from the left to make it 2-0 (51').
More than 20 Hoffenheim shots on goal
There was no more tension.
Bielefeld remained harmless, Hoffenheim missed one or the other number situation in the counterattack.
Despite more than 20 shots on goal, Hoffenheim "only" had two goals, the last good opportunity was missed by Christoph Baumgartner in injury time (90+3).
With a win in Wolfsburg (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.) next weekend, TSG can put pressure on Leipzig, who are tied for a Champions League spot, while Arminia are up against Union Berlin on points in the relegation battle.
mfu