Hamburg surge finally downs Dacia

A four-goal second-half blitz gave Hamburger SV a comfortable 4-0 win against FC Dacia Chisinau and a 5-1 aggregate success. Vincent Kompany, Rafael van der Vaart, Collin Benjamin and David Jarolím were the men on target to send the German side through to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.

First-half frustration
Hamburg had to wait for the breakthrough in this decisive UEFA Intertoto Cup third-round tie after spurning a number of first-half chances. Ivica Olić headed over early on while Mohamed Zidan's shot was dealt with by Dacia custodian Mihail Moraru. Piotr Trochowski missed from 12 metres and Kompany went close five minutes before half-time as the tie remained locked at a goal apiece at the interval. Hamburg coach Huub Steven had demanded patience before the match and his side showed such a quality in abundance to eventually win at a canter against their Moldovan opponents.

Goal rush
The home side finally broke the deadlock after 50 minutes when Kompany volleyed in from inside the box following a corner. Hamburg continued to dictate the pace against tiring opponents and it was no surprise when they put the tie out of reach. Van der Vaart's header flew over Moraru after 71 minutes following more good work and a pinpoint cross by the impressive Olić. Five minutes later Benjamin made it 3-0, scoring from close range, and Jarolím completed the scoring in the final minute while the Chisinau club failed to create any notable chances over the course of the match.