Matchday 7 from the 2.Bundesliga provided the usual thrills and spills both for those at the top and those struggling at the bottom. Paderborn retained top spot with Hamburg moving up to second. At the other end Braunschweig remain bottom despite a first win.
The weekend opened on Friday with a clash between fourth placed Heidenheim and fifth placed Fortuna Düsseldorf at the Voith Arena. With a goal apiece the match looked set for a draw until an 87th minute goal from Tim Kleindienst secured all three points for the hosts and put them top of the table overnight. It was a cruel blow to the visitors, who had played well enough to share the spoils.
Bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig then hosted 1.FC Nürnberg and shared six goals with their Bavarian visitors. Jens Castrop opened the scoring for der Club before Fabio Kaufmann equalised minutes later. Kwadwo Duah restored Nürnberg’s lead only for Anthony Ujah to make it 2-2 before the break. Two goals in the space of three minutes from Kaufmann and Immanuel Pherai however put Braunschweig in control and sealed a first win. They remain bottom, but the first win is on the books.
On Saturday fellow strugglers Greuther Fürth added a point to their tally with a 2-2 home draw versus St. Pauli. Leart Paqarada missed a penalty for the Hamburg side for the second successive game, which proved costly in the end. Paderborn returned to the top of the table with a narrow 1-0 home win over 1.FC Magdeburg but they were made to work and wait for their victory. Despite having a man advantage for the entire second half after Jamie Lawrence was sent off five minutes before the interval, they struggled to break down their opponents. The goal finally came in the 79th minute via Marvin Pieringer.
Jahn Regensburg and Holstein Kiel ended goalless before Hamburg moved into second place with a 1-0 win over Karlsruher SC at the Volksparkstadion. A first half goal from Ludovit Reis was enough to secure the three points for Tim Walter’s HSV.
Darmstadt then lost a little ground at the top on Sunday when held to a 1-1 draw by an Arminia Bielefeld side relegated from the Bundesliga and struggling at the bottom of the 2. Bundesliga table. A 94th minute equaliser proved a sickener for die Lilien after they thought Braydon Manu’s early goal had won it for them.
Hannover made it four wins on the trot with a Maximilian Beier penalty just before half time proving decisive away at Hansa Rostock. The final game of the weekend saw a goalless stalemate between Sandhausen and Kaiserslautern.
