Watford Secure Pre-Season Win Over Hansa Rostock
Watford produced their first win of pre-season, beating Hansa Rostock 3-0 on an afternoon that will be remembered more for the atmosphere the visitors created than the football.
The Hornets' victory was marked by a lively atmosphere created by the visiting fans, who lined the streets of Watford and brought the German football atmosphere to Vicarage Road. On the pitch, Othmane Maamma was excellent and scored the first goal after seven minutes, having kept the ball from going out by the byline.
Maamma's goal was followed by a tidy second from Amin Nabizada after 20 minutes, and the game was comfortable for Watford from there. Nikoloz Chikovani steered in a late third to seal the best day of Watford's summer so far.
The lively atmosphere never seemed to put Watford off, with Alessio Dionisi's side racing into an early lead. Maamma looked on it from the start and did brilliantly to chase down a Marc Bola pass down the left and keep it in play.
Watford survived a scare at the other end, with Daniel Bachmann making two big saves within 60 seconds of each other to preserve the lead. But soon got themselves back on the front foot, with Nabizada dovetailing nicely with Maamma and the two syncing up perfectly for Watford's second.
The Hornets managed the early stages of the second half easily enough, too, though Maamma got himself involved in one unnecessary flashpoint when he was dragged back and seemed to aim his head towards the Hansa perpetrator.
Kwadwo Baah missed a big chance for three when he was teed up by Maamma on the counter-attack, taking too long to shoot and eventually seeing his effort blocked. Moments later, Luca Kjerrumgaard had the ball in the net with a tidy finish but was flagged offside after Edoardo Bove had pressed well in the middle of the pitch.
A flurry of subs interrupted the tempo further, Bachmann quickly off his line on a couple of occasions but Watford largely holding Hansa at arm's length. Iker Bravo was one of the second half introductions and was the target of a couple of crosses from Marc Bola and Michael Adu-Poku, neither of which hit their target.
Hansa did threaten with 80 minutes on the clock, a corner not dealt with convincingly with forwards lurking, before Leo Ramirez-Espain had to take action to deal with another foray into the box. Substitute Nikoloz Chikovani crashed a late effort onto the bar, but then did score the third with a nicely-taken finish into the corner.
It completed a comfortable win for Watford, a welcome morale-booster, but the noise from the Hansa end never stopped.
What happened?
Watford produced a convincing 3-0 win over Hansa Rostock in their pre-season match, with Othmane Maamma and Amin Nabizada scoring in the first half.
Why it matters for Watford
The win is a welcome morale-booster for Watford ahead of the new season, and it will give the team confidence in their ability to compete against stronger opposition.
What comes next?
Watford will look to build on this win and continue their preparations for the new season, which gets underway in a few weeks' time.
League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 16th in Championship, 57 pts, 14W-15D-17L from 46 games, recent form LLLLL.
Goals this season: 53 scored, 65 conceded (-12 goal difference).
Title race: 38 points behind leaders Coventry.
Last result: Watford 0-4 Coventry (2026-05-02).
Recent form (last 5): 0W-0D-5L (LLLLL, most recent first); lost the last 5.
