Hamburg sink Brann

Hamburg had a perfect start to their UEFA Cup group stage campaign after beating newly-crowned Norwegian champions Brann 1-0 on Thursday night.

Belgian Vincent Company sealed the win with a long range shot in the 32nd minute leading the Germans to the top of the group D.

Egyptian striker Mohammed Zidan was among the starting lineup up and had a remarkable contribution forcing the keeper into some heroic saves. He was also booked early in the match after committing a tough foul in the 7th minute.

The 25-year-old was replaced by Eric-Maxim Choup-Moting in injury time.

With three points, Hamburg are on the group summit waiting for Basel and Rennes result. The five-team group also includes Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb.