Simply wow! Where do you start with a weekend like that in the 2.Bundesliga. Magdeburg’s thrilling 6-4 win over Hertha Berlin would have been spectacular enough, but we saw the leadership of the table change hands three times, we saw stunning goals, late drama, a battle at the bottom and much more. Let’s start at the beginning….
Fortuna Düsseldorf 3-1 Karlsruhe
Düsseldorf spent Friday night atop the 2.Bundesliga table after a 3-1 home win over Karlsruhe. They were dealt an early blow when Fabian Schleusener fired the visitors ahead in the third minute after keeper Florian Katstenmeier had flapped at a cross.
They recovered to equalise on the quarter hour mark when excellent pressure from Yannik Engelhardt won possession on the edge of the box and he produced a clinical finish to level the game. Two goals in the space of two minutes ten minutes into the second period decide the game in Fortuna’s favour. First, Greek striker Christos Tzolis cut inside on 55 minutes before curling home a superb strike, before Matthias Zimmerman saw his cross from the right deflected into his own net by Marvin Wanitzek.
Eintracht Braunschweig 1-1 St. Pauli
It was yet another frustrating night for St. Pauli as they were held to a fourth consecutive draw on Friday away at Braunschweig. The visitors took the lead on the hour mark when Elias Saad kept his cool inside the area to fire home a fine finish. The Kiezkicker however couldn’t see the game over the line and conceded an 80th minute equaliser when substitute Johann Helgason lashed home after Karol Mets attempted clearance header fell to him on the edge of the box four minutes after coming on.
It could have been much worse for Fabian Hürzeler’s side, but referee Florian Lechner decided against awarding a penalty after being sent to the VAR monitor in the dying minutes.
Holstein Kiel 2-1 Paderborn
On Saturday Kiel replaced Fortuna at the top of the table with a 2-1 home win over Paderborn. The visitors took a 12th minute lead when Robert Leipertz headed in after the ball had been looped back into the area. Tom Rothe got the hosts level before half time flashing home a left foot drive after the ball arrived into his run perfectly from a deflected cross.
The winner when it arrived was certainly deserving of the three points. The ball broke to Steven Skrzybski on the hallway line and spotting keeper Jannik Huth off his line, the striker sent a perfectly weighted effort darting over the stranded custodian in a moment of genius.
Magdeburg 6-4 Hertha Berlin
We already have a contender for game of the season- in fact we might as well cancel the vote now as it is going to be near impossible to beat the drama witnessed at the MDCC Arena. Ten goals (it could have been more) only scratches the surface of this amazing encounter.
Hertha, fresh from their first win last weekend, took the lead for times against Magdeburg, but four times the hosts equalised so that by the hour mark the score stood at an incredible 4-4. Goals from Fabian Reese, Marten Winkler, and two from Haris Tabakovic brought responses from Silas Gnaka, Luca Schuler, Jason Ceka and Leon Bell Bell.
Mo El Hankouti then put the home side in front for the first time on 69 minutes (the pick of the ten goals) and Ahmet Arslan put the icing on the cake late on, but not before Luc Castaignos had hit the post with a header. The stunning match was first time a side had taken the lead four times and still lost!
Wehen Wiesbaden 1-1 Schalke
The Königsblauen were denied a morale-boosting win at the Brita Arena in Wiesbaden by a slapstick 95th minute equaliser from the hosts. Schalek looked to on course for a 1-0 win thanks to Tobias Mohr’s goal after 54 minutes, but in the 95th minute Henning Matriciani saw his attempted goal line clearance canon into Max Reinthaler and back into the net.
Kaiserslautern 3-1 Nürnberg
The big battle of the two ‘Traditionsvereine’ in the late Saturday match saw Kaiserslautern triumph 3-1 over Nürnberg. An absolutely stunning 25 meter volley from Richmond Tachie opened the scoring in the 19th minute and seven minutes the lead was doubled when Tymoteusz Puchacz drilled home allow drive from a similar distance.
Four minutes later and the game was pretty much over with Ragnar Ache heading in a Puchacz cross for his fourth goal of the season. Nürnberg did pull one back in the 37th minute via Lukas Schleimer to give themselves hope, but when they saw a second half effort ruled out, their game was up. There was however late drama with goalkeeper Christian Mathenia sent off for a professional foul outside his box and with no more substitutes available, Tim Handwerker had to go in goal for the remaining seven minutes that were played.
Hamburg 2-0 Hansa Rostock
HSV took back top spot in the table on Sunday with a comfortable win at home to Hansa Rostock. The Rothosen were able to convert their dominance into goals with one at the very end of the first half and one right at the start of the second. Ludovit Reis hit the first in injury time added on in the first period with Laszlo Benes adding the second three minutes after the restart with Reis providing the assist.
Greuther Fürth 1-3 Hannover
Hannover move up to seventh with Fürth suffering a second successive loss. Both sides scored great goals in the game but the visitors never really looked in danger of losing and ran out 3-1 victors.
Nicolo Tresoldi opened the scoring on 16 minutes for Hannover before Derrick Köhn smashed in a terrific second six minutes later. Julian Green then scored a stunning equaliser from distance five minutes into the second half, but the two-goal advantage was restored seven minutes later when Marcel Halstenberg headed in from short distance.
VfL Osnabrück 0-1 Elversberg
The battle of the bottom two was won by Elversberg thanks to a solitary goal from Wahid Faghir eleven minutes from time. New loan signing from Bayern Munich Paul Wanner laid on the assist with a cross from the right and Faghir headed home the all-important goal.
