Hammer Eisbären defeated Füchse Duisburg 5:2 on Sunday evening in the Oberliga North, a result that reversed the outcome of their first meeting this season. The visitors, who had lost 5:1 at Duisburg back in September, showed more composure when the fixture came round again. The match finished with the away side comfortably in control.
Hammer took the early initiative and never really looked back. Duisburg pulled one back but could not find a second, and the visitors added further goals to seal the result. The visitors got their substitutions spot on, bringing fresh legs into the game when the momentum needed shifting.
We had backed the away side at 43 per cent confidence before kick-off. The prediction came through, and it is fair to say the visitors were the sharper side when it mattered. They kept their side in it after the first goal and let the game flow in their favour.
Duisburg arrived with a win against Neuwied and were sitting third in the table on paper. Hammer had come from nothing, having lost their opening game to Leipzig, and were listed seventh. The table positions told one story, the result told another.
This result means Duisburg now face a second game after their opening victory, while Hammer pick up their first point of the campaign. Both sides had shown flashes of quality in previous seasons, but consistency remains the question.
