Berlin — Hertha Berlin came from behind to beat SpVgg Greuther Fürth 2-1 at the Olympiastadion on Sunday evening, a hard-fought victory that keeps the capital club firmly in the Bundesliga 2 promotion picture.

It was not a performance of total control. Fürth, well organised and dangerous on the counter, led for a period in the second half and created enough chances to have taken something from the game. But Hertha's persistence, and a set-piece goal six minutes from time, proved the difference in front of a large, noisy home crowd.

Match overview

Hertha began the match on the front foot, pressing high and pinning Fürth inside their own half for long spells. The opening goal arrived midway through the first half, a reward for a period of sustained pressure that had already produced two corners and a shot against the post. The Olympiastadion, as it tends to be on these occasions, was loud and expectant.

That expectation turned to unease after the break. Fürth reorganised at half-time, pushed their wing-backs higher and began to find space between Hertha's midfield and defence. The equaliser came from the penalty spot after a foul on the edge of the box, and for the next twenty minutes the visitors were the better team.

Hertha's response was characteristic of a side that has learned to grind out results. They introduced fresh legs in wide areas, moved the ball more quickly and, from a corner in the 84th minute, found the winner — a towering header that sent the home support into the Berlin night satisfied, if not entirely relaxed.

Key moments

• 21' — 1-0 Hertha: Fabian Reese cuts inside from the left and drives a low shot into the far corner after a slick passing move.
• 44' — Fürth warning: A quick break ends with a shot deflected just wide of the post.
• 58' — 1-1: Branimir Hrgota converts a penalty after a foul on the edge of the area was spotted by the referee.
• 66' — Hertha survival: A Fürth strike from distance clips the outside of the post.
• 78' — Double change: Hertha introduce two fresh attackers, shifting the momentum back in their favour.
• 84' — 2-1 Hertha: Márton Dárdai rises highest at the near post to head in a corner and win the game.

Tactical story

Hertha's plan was clear: dominate possession, use the width of the Olympiastadion's pitch and force Fürth to defend deep. It worked for forty-five minutes, particularly down the left, where Reese repeatedly isolated his marker and created overloads with the overlapping full-back.

After the interval, Fürth changed the picture by defending higher and pressing Hertha's central defenders into long passes. That shift produced the penalty and a handful of half-chances, and it exposed a familiar weakness: when Hertha lose the ball in midfield, their defensive line can be caught square.

The winning goal, fittingly, came from a set piece. Hertha have worked extensively on dead-ball routines this season, and the near-post header that decided the match was the product of a well-rehearsed pattern rather than luck.

Standout performers

Fabian Reese was Hertha's most dangerous player throughout, scoring the opener and stretching Fürth's defence repeatedly with his direct running. Márton Dárdai, whose header proved decisive, also defended well in the closing stages as Fürth pushed numbers forward.

For Fürth, Branimir Hrgota led the line intelligently, holding the ball up and bringing runners into play, while the goalkeeper made three saves that kept his side level until the very end.

What it means in the table

The three points strengthen Hertha's position among the promotion contenders in Bundesliga 2, where the top two places bring automatic promotion to the Bundesliga and the third earns a two-legged play-off against the team finishing sixteenth in the top flight. In a division as unforgiving as this one, home wins against well-drilled sides like Fürth are exactly the results that separate genuine promotion candidates from the rest of the pack.

For Greuther Fürth, it is a narrow defeat that nonetheless contained plenty of encouragement. They defended with discipline, scored from the spot and threatened on the break; the difference on the night was one set piece against a team with far greater resources.