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1978–79 Hamburger SV season

The 1978–79 Hamburger SV season was the 32nd season in the club's history and the 16th consecutive season playing in the Bundesliga.


1978–79 season
Branko Zebec
Volksparkstadion
1st
First round
League: Kevin Keegan (17)All: Kevin Keegan (17)
42,441

The 1978–79 Hamburger SV season was the 32nd season in the club's history and the 16th consecutive season playing in the Bundesliga.

Despite personal success for star player Kevin Keegan, who won the Ballon d'Or in 1978, the previous season saw mixed results as Hamburg finished ninth in the Bundesliga. Before the 1978–79 season started, Yugoslavian Branko Zebec was appointed manager of HSV. He had previously guided Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title in 1968–69.

In the summer, new additions to the team were also brought in including Horst Hrubesch, who arrived from Rot-Weiss Essen for £450,000, Jimmy Hartwig, one of Germany’s first non-white players, was signed from 1860 Munich and Bernd Wehmeyer arrived from Hannover 96.

Zebec managed the club to its first ever Bundesliga title in 1978–79, one point ahead of closest challengers VfB Stuttgart, and the club's fourth German championship overall and first since 1960. The team was led by Kevin Keegan along with young, rising German talent including Felix Magath, Horst Hrubesch, and Manfred Kaltz. Keegan was top scorer for HSV, with 17 goals, and was awarded the Ballon d'Or for a second successive year.

Keegan's first goal of the season came in a 5–0 demolition of Borussia Dortmund on 4 November 1978. Hrubesch also needed a bedding-in period and didn’t find the back of the net for his new club until his sixth game but would eventually add 13 goals, benefiting from cross delivered by right-back Manfred Kaltz.

1. FC Kaiserslautern made the early running in the Bundesliga, but HSV closed the gap to one point just before Christmas with a 1–0 victory at Bayern Munich and a 3–1 success against Arminia Bielefeld, a match that saw Keegan score a hat-trick. After 17 rounds, the halfway stage, Kaiserslautern, Hamburg and VfB Stuttgart were separated by just two points. After the winter break, Hamburg appeared to be off the pace and earned one point from their first three games. By the start of April 1979 and in the midst of a 12 match unbeaten run, a 3–0 win against Kaiserslautern paired with a 1–4 home defeat by Stuttgart at the hands of FC Köln, put HSV in position to win their first Bundesliga title. Hamburg lost to Bayern on the final day of the season but had built a three point lead going into the matchday and were crowned champions with 49 points.

HSV also competed in this season's edition of the DFB-Pokal, losing in the first round to Arminia Bielefeld on 5 August 1978.

Hamburger SV
Goalkeeper: Rudolf Kargus (34).
Defenders: Manfred Kaltz (34 / 6); Peter Nogly (captain; 34 / 1); Ivan Buljan (32 / 5); Peter Hidien (31 / 3); Hans-Jürgen Ripp (8); Uwe Beginski (1).
Midfielders: Kevin Keegan (34 / 17); Jimmy Hartwig (34 / 10); Caspar Memering (34 / 4); Horst Bertl (24 / 5); Felix Magath (captain; 21 / 4).
Forwards: Horst Hrubesch (34 / 13); Willi Reimann (26 / 5); Bernd Wehmeyer (19 / 2); Hans-Günther Plücken (7 / 1).
(league appearances and goals listed in brackets)
Manager: Branko Zebec .
On the roster but did not play in a Bundesliga match: Jürgen Stars; Bernd Gorski; Andreas Karow; Thomas Bliemeister.

Hamburg's score comes first

Column 1Column 2Column 3
WinDrawLoss
DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
12 August 1978Borussia MönchengladbachH3–059,000Reimann, Nogly, Kaltz (pen)
19 August 1978Werder BremenA1–128,000Reimann
26 August 1978VfL BochumH1–132,000Hartwig
2 September 1978VfB StuttgartA0–150,000
9 September 1978Hertha BSCH4–126,000Magath, Betl, Hartwig (2)
16 September 1978FC KölnA3–144,000Hartwig, Hidien, Hrubesch
30 September 1978SV Darmstadt 98H2–121,000Betl, Hartwig
6 October 19781. FC KaiserslauternA1–234,000Hrubesch
14 October 1978NürnbergH4–125,000Hrubesch, Kaltz (pen), Reimann, Hartwig
21 October 1978Fortuna DüsseldorfA2–029,000Kaltz (pen), Reimann
28 October 1978Eintracht BraunschweigA0–133,600
4 November 1978Borussia DortmundH5–033,000Betl, Hrubesch, Reimann, Keegan, Wehmeyer
10 November 1978MSV DuisburgA2–020,000Hrubesch (2)
18 November 1978Schalke 04H4–261,500Keegan (2), Hrubesch, Betl
25 November 1978Eintracht FrankfurtA0–050,000
16 December 1978Bayern MunichA1–056,000Memering
23 December 1978Arminia BielefeldH3–140,000Keegan (3)
3 February 1979VfB StuttgartH1–158,000Buljan
9 February 1979Borussia MönchengladbachA3–428,500Buljan, Hrubesch (2)
3 March 1979VfL BochumA1–233,000Hrubesch
10 March 1979Hertha BSCA3–122,600Keegan (2), Memering
14 March 1979Werder BremenH2–240,000Kaltz (pen), Hartwig
24 March 1979SV Darmstadt 98A2–122,000Kalb (own goal), Hartwig
4 April 19791. FC KaiserslauternH3–060,500Hidien, Keegan, Magath
7 April 19791. FC NürnbergH3–325,000Buljan, Hrubesch, Hidien
14 April 1979Fortuna DüsseldorfH2–136,000Hrubesch, Kaltz (pen)
18 April 1979Eintracht BraunschweigH2–035,000Keegan, Hartwig
21 April 1979Borussia DortmundA3–136,100Wehmeyer, Memering, Plücken
5 May 1979MSV DuisburgH3–025,000Keegan, Jakobs (own goal), Magath
8 May 1979FC KölnH6–062,000Memering, Hartwig, Keegan (2), Kaltz (pen), Magath
12 May 1979Schalke 04A3–150,000Keegan (2), Buljan
19 May 1979Eintracht FrankfurtH4–046,000Buljan, Hrubesch, Keegan, Betl
2 June 1979Arminia BielefeldA0–034,900
9 June 1979Bayern MunichH1–261,500Keegan
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R15 August 1978Arminia BielefeldA1–2 (a.e.t.)22,000Wehmeyer
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