Schalke 04 back at the top
Werder scores four goals and still loses
4/29/2022, 8:29 p.m
Early on, Werder Bremen led 2-0 against Holstein Kiel and then scored two more goals. But because the latter are own goals and Kiel then scores themselves, the Hanseatic League fails in the promotion race. Followers Schalke 04 benefited and jumped to first place in the table shortly before the end.
Werder Bremen – Holstein Kiel 2: 3 (2: 1)
Only six days after the big victory in the top game of the 2nd Bundesliga, Werder Bremen suffered a severe setback in the promotion race. The team coached by Ole Werner lost at the start of the 32nd matchday to Holstein Kiel after a 2-0 lead by 2:3 (2:1) – and Schalke 04 climbed through a 2:1 (0:0) at SV Sandhausen back to the top. Werder took first place last matchday with a 4-1 win over Schalke. Werder (57 points) are now two points behind Schalke again, the advantage over relegation place three is three points.
Bremen’s top scorer Niclas Füllkrug (2nd) and Marvin Ducksch (23rd, hand penalty according to video evidence) were also successful against Kiel, but two own goals by Füllkrug (45th + 2nd) and Anthony Jung (71st) ensured the equalizer, Julian Korb (85th) decided the game. In the end, Werner had a bitter reunion with his former club, for which he worked as a youth and head coach for almost a decade.
Six days after the gala in Gelsenkirchen, Werner relied on the same starting eleven, with Ducksch and Füllkrug up front – and after just 23 minutes both had already scored: Füllkrug benefited very early on from an air hole in Kiel’s Stefan Thesker, Ducksch converted a penalty after Simon Lorenz played the ball with his hand.
In between, Kiel also scored, but Benedikt Pichler’s shot was preceded by an offside position (9′). Bremen actually seemed to be in full control now, but there were still moments of uncertainty – as was the case with the goal, when the defense failed to clear a corner kick and Füllkrug deflected untenably. Up front Werder missed numerous chances, at the back Jung unluckily missed a cross.
SV Sandhausen – FC Schalke 04 1: 2 (0: 0)
Schalke 04, on the other hand, are clearly on the way up thanks to Simon Terodde. The team coached by Mike Büskens celebrated a difficult 2-1 (0-0) win at SV Sandhausen after two goals by the striker and thus took back the top spot in the table.
Terodde (71st, 90th + 1) secured his sixth win in seven games under Büskens with his 26th and 27th goals of the season. Dennis Diekmeier (83rd) had equalized in the meantime. Sandhausen can hardly take the league despite the first bankruptcy after four games without defeat. Alou Kuol saw the red card for gross foul play in injury time (90 + 5).
Schalke immediately took command in front of 12,355 spectators, driven by the agile Darko Churlinov, but found it difficult against the hosts who were standing deep. With their first big chance, the guests almost took the lead, but Simon Terodde and Marius Bülter were saved by goalkeeper Patrick Drewes (19th). Overall, however, the game of the favorites lacked ideas and speed. Rodrigo Zalazar also found his master with a free kick in Drewes (25th).
Sandhausen concentrated on the defensive and was mostly stable in the first half. The hosts, with whom coach Alois Schwartz extended his contract by two years until 2024 on Friday, showed little offensive.
After the change, the picture did not change. Sandhausen defended with a lot of passion, Schalke pressed and looked for the gap. A game of patience developed for the Royal Blues, with Terodde initially providing salvation. He dusted after a shot from the post by Churlinov. Diekmeier shocked the guests, who hit back late.
FC St. Pauli – 1. FC Nuremberg 1: 1 (0: 0)
FC St. Pauli’s hopes of promotion are dwindling more and more. The team coached by Timo Schultz did not get more than 1-1 (0-0) against 1. FC Nürnberg and missed the leap to the relegation place after the fifth game in a row without a win. Third-placed SV Darmstadt 98 can pull away to three points with a win on Saturday (8:30 p.m. / Sky and Sport1) against Erzgebirge Aue.
Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (74′, penalty kick) gave Hamburg the lead, but Taylan Duman (90′ + 2) struck back for the Franks in injury time. After just one win from the past six matches, Nuremberg have only minimal chances of promotion.
Both teams attacked early, so the flow of the game was rare at the beginning. St. Pauli made an effort, but without the injured top striker Guido Burgstaller they initially lacked penetrating power. Despite the superiority of Hamburg, guest goalkeeper Christian Mathenia did not have to intervene in the first round. Nürnberg mostly defended attentively, but lacked precision in the game going forward. Opportunities remained scarce. Lino Tempelmann also aimed too high (40th).
Nürnberg started with a little more pressure after the change in front of 29,312 spectators, but the hosts had the chance to take the lead: Finn Ole Becker only hit the post from the edge of the penalty area (57th). Lukas Daschner also missed the lead for St. Pauli (65th). Then Kyereh kept his nerve on the penalty – but Duman fought back.
1. FC Heidenheim – Fortuna Dusseldorf 1: 3 (0: 2)
Fortuna Düsseldorf has finally secured relegation. Coach Daniel Thioune’s team won 3-1 (2-0) at 1. FC Heidenheim on matchday 32 and, with 41 points, can no longer slip to the relegation place.
Jakub Piotrowski (20th), Felix Klaus (33rd) and Christoph Klarer (56th) scored the goals for the guests on Friday evening, who are still unbeaten under Thioune. The former HSV coach, who followed Christian Preusser in February, has now won five and drawn six in eleven games.
Heidenheim, which had to do without the Corona-infected coach Frank Schmidt on the sidelines, had said goodbye to the promotion race before the end of the season. Maurice Malone’s interim connection (47th) was worthless. The Brenz team is bottom of the table with two games left (46 points).
Hannover 96 – Karlsruher SC 2: 0 (1: 0)
After all, Hannover 96 has the relegation very close in mind. Coach Christoph Dabrowski’s team won 2-0 (1-0) against Karlsruher SC on matchday 32 and increased the gap to Dynamo Dresden and the relegation rank to nine points – the Saxons can only do so in their three remaining games tie on points.
On Saturday (1.30 p.m. / Sky) Dynamo is already under pressure to win against Jahn Regensburg. Center forward Hendrik Weydandt (25th) with a header and Maximilian Beier (90th + 4) scored for 96. In front of 13,700 spectators, a varied game developed with Hanover’s opening goal at the latest. The hosts could have increased, but Karlsruhe also had a few chances after four games without a win.