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BERLIN (AP) — 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 10 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.
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AUGSBURG 1, EINTRACHT FRANKFURT 1
Augsburg put the brakes on Frankfurt's progress as the visitors had to cope without attacking midfielder Marco Fabian, who was suspended.
Branimir Hrgota fired Frankfurt into an early lead in the first goal conceded by Augsburg in four games.
But the home side gradually improved and Ji Dong-won equalized with a fine strike 10 minutes before the interval. The South Korean forward thought he'd scored again after the break before an offside decision.
Both sides enjoyed chances in an open second half before settling for the draw.
"I'm happy with the point," said Frankfurt coach Nico Kovac, whose side dropped to fifth but remains unbeaten in eight games across all competitions.
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