Hamburg share the tops

Hamburg share the tops

Hamburg moved back into a share of the Bundesliga lead with a 3-1 win over Stuttgart at the HSV-Arena.

Mladen Petric put Bruno Labbadia's in-form team in front after half-an-hour before Eljero Elia added a second just shy of the hour mark.

Pavel Pogrebnyak gave Stuttgart a glimmer of hope within five minutes of conceding the second goal, but Hamburg moved back up a gear and their lead and the latest three points of a hitherto successful season were never in any danger.

Ze Roberto added a third in stoppage time just to make sure.

Christian Trasch looked lively as Stuttgart took the game to their hosts early on.

He created two goals and had a chance of his own to put the Swabians ahead, but despite their efforts, they were never able to truly test Frank Rost in the Hamburg goal.

Hamburg then took the lead against the run of play when Petric fired a 20-yard shot into the top of the goal, with Stuttgart goalkeeper Jens Lehmann caught a little too far off his line.

Elia, who has been earning plaudits for his fine start to the season, lived up to the high expectations he has now set with an excellently taken goal in the 58th minute.

He received the ball from David Jarolim outside the penalty area, turned and picked his spot before firing into the bottom right-hand corner beyond the reach of Jens Lehmann.

Petric thought he had wrapped all three points up when he put the ball in the back of the net for the second time, but he had fouled Mathieu Delpierre in the build-up to the goal, which did not count.

Stuttgart brought themselves back into the game in the 62nd minute when Pogrebnyak chipped the ball over Rost after a determined pass from Trasch put the Russian through on goal.

Hamburg realised their lead was no longer so secure and they raised the tempo once again with Elias forcing a fine diving save out of Lehmann with a close-range header.

Ze Roberto then beat Lehmann from 20 yards as Hamburg sealed the win in style.