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Bonkers matches. Toothless matches. Big home wins. Big away upsets. Sublime goals. Superb saves. Red cards. VAR reviews. Taken penalties. Missed penalties!
Matchday 10 of the 2. Bundesliga had it all. Here are the results:
Greuther Fürth 2 – Dynamo Dresden 0
Fürth snapped a three match losing streak by upending a struggling Dresden side at the Sportpark Ronhof Thomas Sommer on Friday evening.
Striker Daniel Keita-Ruel got things off and running early for Kleeblätter, when he volleyed in Håvard Nielsen’s cross from the right in the 7th minute. It took a VAR check to confirm the ruling, as it had been initially flagged for offside, but Fürth eventually had the lead. Sebastian Ernst came close to a second shortly after when his long range effort snaked past the right hand post.
The German made amends in the 37th minute, when, after receiving a beautiful through ball putting him one-on-one with Dresden keeper Kevin Broll, he selflessly provided an inch perfect pass to Keita-Ruel, who smashed in his second, doubling the hosts’ lead.
Dresden never really threatened Fürth keeper Sascha Burchert, with Moussa Koné’s downward header coming closest, only to bounce over the crossbar safely. The results sees the East Germans drop into the relegation zone, just one point above bottom.
Erzgebirge Aue 4 – Nürnberg 3
This was the match that had everyone talking. The final 45 minutes of this pulsating tie featured 7 goals, 3 penalties, and one incredible final kick.
Visiting Nürnberg hit the crossbar twice in the first half and Erzgebirge keeper and captain Martin Männel saved well from a Robin Hack effort in the 31st minute, leaving the match scoreless going into halftime.
Fenerbahçe loanee Michael Frey gave Der Club the lead in the 51st minute, after full-back Tim Handwerker’s deflected cross found the striker alone in the left side of the 6 yard box. Frey blasted the ball past an onrushing Männel for his second goal for the club and a deserved lead.
Nürnberg’s momentum was upended in the 60th minute. Erzgebirge’s Fabian Kalig beat two defenders and keeper Christian Mathenia, only for center-back Asger Sørensen to deny him a goal with his right arm. Referee Daniel Schlager awarded the penalty and then produced a straight red to Sørensen, leaving Nürnberg to play the remainder of the match with 10 men. Dimitrij Nazarov coolly scored the penalty, levelling the match at 1 apiece.
Jan Hochscheidt gave Erzgebirge the lead in the 75th minute, when Nürnberg couldn’t clear a cross from the left and the ball fell the winger, who smashed home inside the right hand post. But the visitors weren’t about to go quietly into the night. A spell of pressure gave Johannes Geis a chance from range, and the last ditch blocking effort by Erzgebirge midfielder Philipp Riese only resulted in him deflecting the ball into his own net, to tie the score again.
Into the final stages the match went, and Erzgebirge took the lead again in the 86th minute. Hochscheidt’s deflected cross from the right eluded both teammate Pascal Testroet and Mathenia, leaving center-back Marko Mihojević with an easy tap in at the far post. The visitors went back on the offensive in search of another equalizer, and two minutes into stoppage time, VAR called for a review of an altercation that took place in the penalty area following a Nürnberg throw in toward.
On replay, it emerged that in attempting to head the ball out of danger, Testroet had stuck up a high elbow and caught Frey in the side of the head. It certainly wasn’t intentional, but nevertheless was a foul, resulting in a booking for Testroet and a penalty for Nürnberg. Geis beat Männel for his second of the match and things were level once again.
But the lengthy review and subsequent penalty meant that more time had to be added on, and Testroet, eager to make up for his mistake, put in an inch perfect cross for substitute Florian Krüger to head home for the hosts’ 4th goal of the match! Replays showed that Krüger was half a step ahead of his marker, but a defender on the far side of the pitch had slipped and played Krüger onside with his foot, and Nürnberg looked to be on the verge of a gut-wrenching loss.
BUT WAIT!! Near the death, a penalty area mixup between the Erzgebirge center-backs allowed Nürnberg substitute Felix Lohkemper to step into the fray, win the ball, and get tripped up by Mihojević, resulting in another penalty and another potential equalizer!!!
In what everyone knew would be the final kick of the match, 10 minutes into stoppage time, it was Frey who stepped forward to take it. But Erzgebirge’s captain dove to his right, saved it with his hand, and corralled the rebound!!!!
Männel was mobbed by his teammates and the Erzgebirge supporters went wild as the final whistle sounded, while Nürnberg were left to suffer through a crushing defeat, in a match they had controlled for most of the first 60 minutes.
Jahn Regensburg 1 – Sandhausen 0
Regensburg took their second consecutive league win on Saturday afternoon, besting an out of form Sandhausen side at the Continental Arena.
Both sides were well organized to start, with the only real chance in the first half coming in the 37th minute, when Nicolas Wähling’s cross from the right found Wolfsburg loanee Sebastian Stolze in a fraction of space. Stolze’s powerful volley was goalbound, but Sandhausen keeper Martin Fraisl leaped and pushed it over the crossbar with a big paw.
After Julius Biada shot high from Sandhausen’s best chance thus far, the hosts took the lead in the 58th minute, though it likely wasn’t intended as such. A long ball toward the box from the left was met by striker Marco Grüttner. His header across the face of goal was probably intended for teammate Andreas Albers at the far post, but the ball eluded Fraisl and snuck in off the far post, so Grüttner was credited with the unwitting goal.
Sandhausen upped the pressure in an effort to equalize, forcing Alexander Meyer into his only save of the match in the 65th minute. Aziz Bouhaddouz headed off the crossbar from the resulting corner just seconds later.
Regensburg saw out the remainder of the match and move up to 5th in the table with the win, while Sandhausen are winless in their last 5 matches.
Wiesbaden 0 – Heidenheim 0
I hope I’m not the only one who dislikes nil-nil draws.
Bottom side Wiesbaden were able to hold visiting Heidenheim in a clash that produced more cards than shots on goal. Heidenheim had the majority of the possession (66%-34%), but could only put 1 of their 10 shots on target, which Wiesbaden keeper Heinz Lindner was able to stop.
Wiesbaden didn’t test Heidenheim keeper Kevin Müller until the latter stages of the second half, but they will undoubtedly be pleased with another point, after their dismal start to the season. They remain bottom, while Heidenheim fall to 7th.
Darmstadt 1 – St Pauli 0
A big upset at the Millerntor-Stadion in Hamburg saw Darmstadt snatch their first league win in two and a half months, at the expense of a misfiring St Pauli side.
Darmstadt full-back Patrick Herrmann took the first stab at goal in the 12th minute and forced Robin Himmelmann into a leaping save. Counterpart Marcel Schuhen made an equally impressive stop on a deflected cross in the 35th minute, leaving both sides scoreless at the break.
After the interval, Mathias Honsak went close for the visitors, only to be denied by two last ditch efforts from Himmelmann and center-back James Lawrence. Schuchen was then called into action again and denied Finn Ole Becker from close range at the other end.
The winner came from a corner in the 80th minute. Darmstadt midfielder Victor Pálsson rose highest and his powerful header beat Himmelmann to give the visitors the lead. They came close to a second on the verge of stoppage time, but Himmelmann stopped Marvin Mehlem’s effort from range. It was of no consolation to Kiezkicker, who suffered their first league defeat since August.
Darmstadt move out of the relegation zone with the win.
Holstein Kiel 1 – Stuttgart 0
Successive poor performances at home see Stuttgart drop another match against a side far down in the table as Die Störche won for the second time in three league matches.
Stuttgart dominated for much of the first half, Philipp Förster testing Kiel keeper Ioannis Gelios early on. But Kiel looked dangerous at times, with Janni Luca Serra heading just inches wide from a corner. Stuttgart striker Nicolás González missed two good chances and fellow attacker Silas Wamangituka shot against the crossbar just before halftime.
Gelios was on hand to deny Gonzalez again early in the second as the forward rushed onto an excellent through ball, butthe match turned on its head a few moments later, when Holger Badstuber, already on a yellow card from the first half, stupidly fouled Serra near the halfway line. He was rightfully booked a second time and dismissed. Perhaps it was karma for Badstuber, who arguably should’ve been sent off against Bielefeld on Matchday 8.
Stuttgart had to play on with 10 men, but went behind less than two minutes after Badstuber’s dismissal. Lee Jae-sung outjumped Emiliano Insúa and his looping header somehow eluded keeper Gregor Kobel, giving the South Korean international his 5th goal of the campaign.
The goal invigorated Kiel and Stuttgart were lucky not to go 2 down when substitute David Atanga raced free, only to be denied by an alert Kobel. The closest Stuttgart came to an equalizer was when Tanguy Coulibaly passed across the face of goal, but no one was on hand to turn it in.
Kiel held on and moved up to 14th, while Stuttgart left the field to whistles from unhappy home supporters.
Hannover 0 – Osnabrück 0
Remember how I said I dislike nil-nil draws?
Unlike Wiesbaden and Heidenheim the day before, Hannover and Osnabrück did end up with more combined shots on goal than cards, but it was still a rather toothless affair at the HDI-Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Cedric Teuchert came close for the hosts early on, when his shot struck the crossbar in the 26th minute. Die Roten controlled most of the possession (72%-28%), but Lila-Weiß looked dangerous on the counter, with Hannover keeper Ron-Robert Zieler called into action several times to thwart Osnabrück counterattacks.
Hannover’s Waldemar Anton headed just centimeters wide in the 87th minute, but neither side had a goal in them, and had to share the spoils. Both remain in the bottom half of the table.
Bochum 3 – Karlsruher 3
One bonkers match wasn’t enough for this Matchday.
Visiting Karlsruher took the lead, were pegged level, went down a man, retook the lead, were pegged back again, fell behind, and finally equalized at the death, to earn themselves a precious point on the road at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion.
Philipp Hofmann headed in his 7th goal of the season from a corner in the 8th minute, but Bochum center-back Saulo Decarli showed that he too could score from a corner, planting a diving header just inside the near post two minutes later.
Hofmann struck the bar with another header shortly after and then things turned ugly in the 16th minute, when KSC midfielder Lukas Fröde caught Simon Zoller in the calf with a high boot. It wasn’t intentional, but high boots are often punished severely nowadays regardless of intent. Referee Nicolas Winter initially gave Fröde a yellow card, to the dismay of the Bochum players and coaches, but then Fröde, apparently thinking he didn’t even deserve that, sarcastically applauded Winter’s decision.
Can you guess what happened next? Yup. Second yellow card and instant dismissal for the KSC man.
Despite going down a man, KSC retook the lead in the 21st minute, when Kyoung Rok Choi turned in Damian Roßbach’s dipping cross from the left. But they didn’t stay there long. A scramble in the KSC box resulted in center-back Daniel Gordon stepping on Vitaly Janelt’s foot, bringing him down. VAR review resulted in a penalty, which Danny Blum converted in the 29th minute.
The hosts went ahead two minutes later. Silvère Ganvoula M’boussy’s cross from the left eluded everyone, including KSC keeper Benjamin Uphoff, but glanced off the far post. The ball rebounded into the path of full-back Cristian Gamboa, who had wisely continued his run forward, and he slotted home inside the right hand post, for a 3-2 halftime lead for Bochum.
KSC started well in the second half, and had a golden opportunity to equalize when Bochum keeper Manuel Riemann clipped midfielder Marvin Wanitzek’s ankles as he looked to latch onto a through ball, resulting in another penalty. Marc Lorenz took it, but Riemann made up for his error by saving to his right.
But Bochum couldn’t hold on and conceded in stoppage time. Hofmann headed down a long ball to substitute Anton Fink, who took a quick touch and then beat Riemann at his far post for 3-3!
The goal was not without controversy. Marvin Pourié was in an offside position when Fink shot, and although he never touched the ball, he was standing directly between Riemann and Fink. BVB fans will recall that Julian Brandt had a goal disallowed against Monchengladbach because Marco Reus was in a similar position between the ball and the keeper, but in this case, neither the referee, nor VAR, raised an objection.
The draw keeps Bochum firmly in the relegation fight, while Karlsruher move to 10th.
Arminia Bielefeld 1 – Hamburg 1
An end-to-end showdown between league leaders Hamburg and third place Bielefeld resulted in shared points at the Bielefelder Alm on Monday evening.
Visiting HSV started out on the front foot, with Lukas Hinterseer testing Bielefeld keeper Stefan Ortega in the opening minutes. After Bielefeld had a pair of near misses at the other end, the Austrian striker put his side ahead in the 15th minute, after a intercepting a poor Bielefeld backpass and coolly slotting the ball in past a diving Ortega.
HSV kept pushing forward, but the hosts gradually worked themselves back into the match and chances were to be had at both ends. Sonny Kittel and Jeremy Dudziak came close at one end, while Bielefeld captain and leading scorer Fabian Klos tested Hamburg keeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes in the opposite goal. Martin Harnik thought he’d given HSV a 2-0 lead just before halftime, but the goal was correctly waved off for offside.
Bielefeld came out strong in the second half and levelled things just after 5 minutes through, you guessed it, Klos. The big man’s flicked header off a Marcel Hartel corner gave Heuer Fernandes no chance. 20 minutes of close, but subdued action followed. Both managers brought on fresh legs and the chances started coming again in the final minutes.
Heuer Fernandes denied Klos twice more, but HSV came closest to a winner, when Dudziak’s left-footed volley caromed off the woodwork in the 86th minute.
Despite the shared points, neither side had much to complain about at the final whistle. Hamburg’s point enabled them to jump ahead of Stuttgart for sole possession of first place, while Bielefeld remain 3rd.
Table
1. Hamburg – 21 points
2. Stuttgart – 20 points
3. Arminia Bielefeld – 19 points
4. Erzgebirge Aue – 18 points
5. Jahn Regensburg – 14 points (+4 GD)
6. Fürth – 14 points (-3 GD)
Top Scorers
1. Manuel Schäffler (Wiesbaden) – 8 goals
T2. Silvère Ganvoula M’boussy (Bochum) – 7 goals
T2. Philipp Hofmann (Karlsruher) – 7 goals
T2. Fabian Klos (Arminia Bielefeld) – 7 goals
Key Upcoming Matches – Matchday 11 (October 25 – 28)
Erzgebirge Aue @ Darmstadt – Friday 10/25, 12:30 pm EST
Arminia Bielefeld @ Dynamo Dresden – Saturday 10/26, 7:00 am EST
Stuttgart @ Hamburg – Saturday 10/26, 7:00 am EST
Jahn Regensburg @ Nürnberg – Sunday 10/27, 8:30 am EST