(Left to right) File picture of Hamburg SV’s Rafael van der Vaart, Ivo Ilicevic, Gojko Kacar and coach Bruno Labbadia after losing their Bundesliga match against Stuttgart.

DPA/Hamburg

After being minutes away from relegation for the first time in the club’s history, SV Hamburg can now look forward to a new start, with hopes that perhaps a turning point has finally been reached in the club’s fortunes.
Club chairman Dietmar Beiersdorfer, coach Bruno Labbadia and some of the players celebrated into the early hours in Hamburg after returning from Monday evening’s extra-time victory over Karslruhe in the Bundesliga play-off.
And after a nerve-wracking evening in which only a stoppage-time goal prevented relegation, all were agreed that yet another season like this - with a second successive relegation escape via the play-off - has to be avoided at all costs.
“I think we can say that’s enough of testing our nerves in this way,” Beiersorfer said.
Former player Labbadia, hired by the club six weeks ago in a last-ditch effort to prevent relegation, was emotionally exhausted after the match.
“I can only say there is nothing worse than a relegation battle. The intensity you experience as a coach is something you rarely experience in life,” he said.
Hamburg face a new start with the contracts of several players expiring and not set for renewal. One of those on his way will be Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, destination as yet unclear.
Perhaps one of Van der Vaart’s last gifts to Hamburg was not taking the free-kick which led to the equaliser which took Hamburg into extra-time in the second-leg match.
After the 1-1 draw in Hamburg, Karlsruhe were on their way to promotion, leading 1-0 thanks to Reinhold Yobo’s goal 12 minutes from time.
With 90 minutes already gone, Hamburg were awarded a free-kick near the edge of the area after a shot by  Slobodan Rajkovic struck Jonas Meffert on the arm.
Van der Vaart picked up the ball as the normal free-kick taker but then allowed Marcelo Diaz to shoot, and the Chilean curled the ball over the defensive wall and into the net.
Substitute Nicolai Mueller then broke Karlsruhe’s hearts  by tapping in a Cleber in trhe 115th minute for a 3-2 aggregate win.
Labbadia, the fourth Hamburg coach this year, will be hoping the club - known as the league “dinosaur” as the only original Bundesliga club never to have been relegated - can now establish the continuity and stability it needs to climb the table.
“Bruno has done an outstanding job,” Beiersdorfer said. “We are all absolutely impressed how quickly he was able to get the team to perform. He deserves our thanks.”
German Olympic officials were also pleased six-time German champions Hamburg managed to stay up - as an important visiting card for the city’s bid to stage the 2024 or 2028 summer Games.
Alfons Hoermann, president of the German Olympic association DOSB, congratulated the team and told dpa: “You could see what emotions are released by sport and how valuable this common experience can be for a city, a region and a state.
“These emotions will come over a long period at Olympics and Paralympics.”
Over to the pitch now.