Darmstadt and Heidenheim win
Promotion favorites make first division ambition clear
01/28/2023 2:56 p.m
At the start of the second division, the top clubs underline their intention to move up to the Bundesliga. Table leaders Darmstadt continue their strong home series, only pursuer Heidenheim is even better in front of their own fans, who also scores three points. Holstein Kiel turns the game in Fürth.
SV Darmstadt 98 – SSV Jahn Regensburg 2:0 (2:0)
Made-to-measure start for the leaders: Darmstadt 98 defeated Jahn Regensburg 2-0 (2-0) at the start of the second half of the second Bundesliga season and thus secured first place. Braydon Manu (18th) and Fabian Holland (29th) scored for Lilien, who suffered their only defeat of the season on the first day of play in Regensburg. The guests have now been waiting for a win for five games and have to look down. Regensburg’s Scott Kennedy also saw the red card after an emergency brake (22′).
Darmstadt started cautiously, but took the first chance to take the lead in front of 15,798 spectators. Marvin Mehlem captured the ball against Maximilian Thalhammer just before the guest penalty area and served Manu. With the lead behind them, Darmstadt had the action under control with a majority. Holland headed in before the break. The hosts also controlled the encounter in the second round. Regensburg was harmless outnumbered.
1. FC Heidenheim – FC Hansa Rostock 2:0 (0:0)
1. FC Heidenheim has continued its winning streak. The Baden-Württembergers won the home game against Hansa Rostock 2-0 (0-0) and are unbeaten for six games in a row. In these six games, FCH scored an impressive 16 points, most recently there were four threes in a row. Tim Kleindienst (80th) and Florian Pick (88th) scored the goals. The victory pushed FCH past Hamburger SV to second place. However, HSV can counterattack in the home game against Eintracht Braunschweig on Sunday.
Both teams neutralized each other for a long time, goal chances remained scarce. Heidenheim seemed a little stronger in terms of play, but initially did not capitalize on the optical superiority. In the second 45 minutes, the North Germans were initially more determined and offensive. John Verhoek, himself a former attacker in Heidenheim, hit the crossbar of the FCH goal with his head (58th).
Holstein Kiel – SpVgg Greuther Furth 2: 1 (0: 1)
Bundesliga relegated SpVgg Greuther Fürth has not extended its winning streak under new coach Alexander Zorniger. The Franconians lost 1: 2 (1: 0) at Holstein Kiel after the half-time lead. Fürth had previously scored ten points from four games under the coach. Dickson Abiama (30th) gave the guests the lead. He benefited from a major mistake by Tim Schreiber. The Kiel goalkeeper didn’t hold the ball, Abiama dusted it off. Schreiber banged his hands and fists on the floor in irritation. The Nigerian goalscorer also ended a goal drought that had lasted more than a season and a half.
But the storks got off to a much better start in the second half. Hauke Wahl (46′) headed in after a cross from Steven Skrzybski. Wahl missed a good opportunity in the 44th minute. Simon Lorenz (84th) scored the winning goal for the storks. Zorniger had warned his team about the offensive qualities of the North Germans. Accordingly, Fürth initially focused on stable defense and good order.
Kiel initially found it difficult to gain control of the game after going behind. Fürth was very compact and hardly allowed any space. The Fürther became more and more courageous on the offensive. Above all, Simon Asta caused danger. In the second half, however, Kiel made the turnaround and in the end deservedly scored three points.