Hertha Berlin continued their perfect start to the 2. Bundesliga campaign with a commanding 4-1 victory over Heidenheim on Friday evening. Stefan Leitl’s side raced into a three-goal lead before halftime and survived a second-half rally from the visitors, despite finishing the match with ten men following Deyovaisio Zeefuik’s late dismissal. First-half goals from Sebastian Grønning, Marten Winkler and Zeefuik set the tone, while substitute Oluwaseun Adewumi sealed the points after Jan Schöppner had briefly threatened a comeback for Heidenheim.
The hosts required only two minutes to open the scoring. Marten Winkler whipped in a low free-kick from the left flank, allowing Sebastian Grønning to steer a diving header past goalkeeper Frank Feller at the near post. Hertha maintained their intensity, pressing high to deny Heidenheim any rhythm. On 26 minutes, Winkler doubled the advantage with a superb individual effort, picking up possession near the halfway line, beating two defenders and drilling a powerful strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. Nine minutes before the break, Zeefuik latched onto a long ball over the top, kept his composure and lifted a delicate finish over the advancing Feller to make it 3-0.
Heidenheim emerged with renewed purpose after the interval and reduced the deficit within four minutes. Mikkel Kaufmann’s deep free-kick bypassed the entire Hertha defence, leaving Jan Schöppner unmarked at the far post to tap home after Marius Gersbeck had rushed out to punch clear and missed. The visitors nearly equalised shortly after the hour when Marcel Costly broke through on goal, but Gersbeck atoned for his earlier error with a crucial sliding challenge to force the attacker wide. Hertha regained control following the introduction of Adewumi, with the Burnley loanee repeatedly stretching the tiring Heidenheim backline.
Leitl’s side see out victory despite red card
The match turned fractious late on when Zeefuik was shown a straight red card for an elbow to the chest of an opponent. However, any hopes of a late Heidenheim revival were extinguished minutes later. Hertha broke swiftly from a corner, with Josip Brekalo squaring for Adewumi to slot calmly past Feller and confirm a second successive league win. The result leaves Hertha with maximum points from their opening two fixtures.