Lichtenberg vs Hertha BSC — Match Details | Betmana

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Hertha BSC

Hertha BSC thrashed SV Lichtenberg 47 9-0 in a pre-season friendly, with Sebastian Grønning scoring a second-half hat-trick at the HOWOGE-Arena Hans-Zoschke.

Match Videos

SV Lichtenberg 47 vs. Hertha BSC | Testspiel in voller Länge

Match Analysis

AI Summary

How it unfolded

The scoreline told a story of total dominance, but Lichtenberg held firm for the first half-hour. Julian Eitschberger broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute, collecting a pass from Jelani Ndi in the box and finishing into the far corner for his first Hertha goal.

Kevin Sessa doubled the lead four minutes before the interval with an unstoppable first-time strike (41'). Then 18-year-old Niklas Hildebrandt — celebrating his birthday — added a third just before half-time, turning home a pass inside the box to make it 3-0 at the break (44').

Hertha coach Stefan Leitl changed all ten outfield players at half-time, with only Soufian Gouram remaining on the pitch. The second half was tighter for 25 minutes until Grønning opened his account, chipping the Lichtenberg goalkeeper one-on-one (69').

An own goal from Lichtenberg defender Joshua Bateman — who attempted to chest a ball down but saw it trickle in — made it 5-0 (77'). Grønning added a sixth two minutes later (79'), and Kian Todorović swept home a seventh after a flowing move involving Jón Dagur Thorsteinsson and Grønning (86'). Marten Winkler drilled in number eight from distance (88'), and Grønning completed his hat-trick with a close-range header after his initial effort hit the crossbar (89').

The turning point

Lichtenberg's resistance lasted 32 minutes — longer than many expected given the three-division gap. But once Eitschberger's opener went in, the floodgates opened. Hertha scored three times in the final 13 minutes of the first half, effectively ending the contest before the interval. The visitors' second-half display was less urgent until the 69th minute, after which they scored six times in the final 21 minutes.

Key performers

Sebastian Grønning — the Danish striker's second-half hat-trick (69', 79', 89') took his pre-season tally to five goals in two friendlies. The 27-year-old was a constant menace after coming on at half-time, also hitting the crossbar before scoring his third.

Niklas Hildebrandt — the 18-year-old marked his birthday with a goal on his first start of pre-season, scoring just before half-time (44'). He also forced an early save and showed sharp movement in the box.

Julian Eitschberger — the right-back opened the scoring with his first goal for the club (32'), timed his runs well from deep, and was solid defensively in the first half.

Josip Brekalo — wearing the captain's armband, the Croatian winger was involved in much of Hertha's first-half creativity, including the corner that led to Hildebrandt's early chance.

By the numbers — interpreted

The provider data shows nine goals from 10 shots on target across the 90 minutes — a conversion rate Hertha would be delighted to carry into the competitive season. Lichtenberg managed only one meaningful attempt on target, saved by Marius Gersbeck in the 40th minute. The three first-half goals from an xG perspective came from limited chances finished clinically, while the second-half flurry reflected Hertha's growing physical superiority against tiring opposition.

What it means

This was Hertha's second pre-season friendly of summer 2026, following a 15-0 win over Frohnauer SC — a combined 24-0 across two outings. Coach Stefan Leitl said afterward: "I'm very satisfied. Our goal is to implement the things we train. The lads did that despite heavy legs. They didn't stop and wanted to keep scoring."

Lichtenberg, who play in the Oberliga Nordost (fifth tier), face a steep step up in quality when competitive action resumes. Hertha's next friendly is away at 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig on Saturday 11 July 2026 (15:00 CEST).

Notable absentees for Hertha included first-choice goalkeeper Tjark Ernst — who watched from the stands — alongside Marton Dardai, Deyovaisio Zeefuik, Luca Schuler (adductor problems) and Leon Jensen (load management).

Verdict

A routine pre-season workout for Hertha against an opponent three divisions below them. The scoreline was never in doubt after the first half-hour, but Leitl will value the 90 minutes of match fitness and the chance to rotate two entirely different XIs. Grønning's hat-trick and the integration of academy prospects Diallo, Grothe and Hildebrandt were the real takeaways.