Moffi gets Hamburg welcome as Ojo earns call-up in 3-0 DFB-Pokal win

Terem Moffi received an immediate welcome from Hamburger SV as the club opened its competitive season with a 3-0 victory away to SC Verl in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. The match also marked a major step for 19-year-old Kelvin Ojo, who was named on Hamburg’s senior bench for the first time.

Ojo did not leave the substitutes’ bench, but his inclusion underlined his growing standing within the club. The German-Nigerian forward has spent most of his time with Hamburger SV II in the Regionalliga Nord, while also working with the first team during the summer and at the club’s August training camp.

His progress follows a productive period with the reserve side. Ojo scored three times in 26 Regionalliga appearances last season and found the net again on August 12, putting HSV II ahead in a 2-2 draw with SV Todesfelde. He has also recently become a regular participant in first-team training, giving coach Merlin Polzin another young attacking option.

Hamburg settled the cup tie with three goals across the end of the first half and the start of the second. Albert Grønbæk opened the scoring in the 41st minute after winning possession inside a Verl move and finishing from the area. The Danish midfielder doubled the advantage in the 46th minute, before Louis Pepe Lemke completed the scoring four minutes later from Nicolai Remberg’s pass.

The result took Hamburg into the second round and followed a 2-1 pre-season win at Toulouse. It gave Polzin a successful start before the club’s Bundesliga opener away to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

Moffi’s arrival at Hamburg was confirmed on Monday after he completed his medical and signed from OGC Nice. The 27-year-old Nigeria international spent the second half of last season on loan at FC Porto and will wear the No. 9 shirt at his new club. He is due to begin training with his teammates this week, joining Ojo in a Hamburg squad that now has a shared Nigerian connection.