Werder doesn’t win again
Schalke is marching towards the Oberhaus in a wild top game
4/17/2022, 3:32 p.m
Schalke 04 beat Darmstadt 98 in the top game and are increasingly aiming for promotion to the Bundesliga. In a gripping duel it goes back and forth. Werder Bremen, on the other hand, initially showed little desire to stay with the Revierklub, but ended up having a lot of bad luck against Nuremberg.
SV Darmstadt 98 – FC Schalke 04 2: 5 (2: 3)
With their fifth win in five games under interim coach Mike Büskens, Schalke 04 consolidated their lead in the 2nd Bundesliga and made a big step towards promotion again. In the top game at Darmstadt 98, the Royal Blues won 5-2 (3-2) and increased their lead over the relegation place to three points.
His strikers were the guarantors of victory for the Bundesliga relegated team: First, in front of 14,500 spectators in the sold-out Böllenfalltor stadium, Simon Terodde scored twice with his goals 23 and 24 of the season (14th/29th), then Marius Bülter scored with his goals number eight to ten ( 43./48./62.) after. Phillip Tietz also scored twice for Darmstadt, who are still fourth (11th/34th).
In a spectacular first half, the hosts got off to a better start: after a little over ten minutes, they had already fired six shots on goal and deservedly led through a follow-up shot by Tietz, who had previously hit the post with a header.
The first Schalke chance brought equalization – with a double head: Marius Bülter extended a cross from Rodrigo Zalazar, Terodde completed it. Fifteen minutes later, the second division record scorer added a header to lead the guests. In between, Schalke captain Danny Latza had to be carried off the pitch with an ankle injury.
Tietz used the disorder in the Royal Blues’ defense to equalize with a header after a cross from Braydon Manu. The last highlight before the break was Bülter, who put the Gelsenkirchen team back in the lead after a one-on-one action. After the break, the 29-year-old made it 4-2 while Darmstadt were still discussing an offside goal by Tietz and scored his hat-trick 14 minutes later
SV Werder Bremen – 1. FC Nuremberg 1: 1 (0: 1)
Werder Bremen is only making small steps on the way to a direct return to the Bundesliga. Against 1. FC Nuremberg, the Hanseatic League did not get more than 1: 1 (0: 1), it was the third draw in a row for the Green-Whites. Nevertheless, they maintained second place, one point ahead of FC St. Pauli.
Nikola Dovedan scored the opening goal for the Franks in the 24th minute with a penalty kick after Lino Tempelmann had been brought down by Milos Veljkovic. Four minutes after coming on, Mitchell Weiser equalized after good work from Marco Friedl (65′).
In the first half in particular, the team coached by Robert Klauß seemed more stable on the defensive and quicker on the offensive. In front of 38,000 spectators in the Weser Stadium, the North Germans were unable to stage their top strikers Marvin Ducksch and Niclas Füllkrug in a promising manner. Visibly restless, Werder coach Ole Werner paced back and forth in front of the reserve bench.
The hosts came out of the dressing room with more pressure, but were lucky that Jiri Pavlenka was able to iron out a positional mistake made by Friedl against Lukas Schleimer (53′). After the equalizer, the guests were very low and were lucky: A Ducksch header hit the crossbar (88th).
Hansa Rostock – SSV Jahn Regensburg 1: 1 (1: 0)
Hansa Rostock has probably missed the last step to stay up. In the first game after the death of club legend Joachim Streich, the Rostock team only managed to draw 1-1 (1-0) against Jahn Regensburg and remained in twelfth place in the table. Relegation can only theoretically be taken from the promoted team with a nine-point lead over the relegation rank.
Veteran John Verhoek (44th) gave coach Jens Härtel’s team the lead, but Niklas Shipnoski (59th) prevented Rostock from winning their fifth game in the last six games. Regensburg jumped to ninth place and has nothing to do with the relegation battle. Rostock’s Danylo Sikan saw the red card after an assault (90+3).
After a minute’s silence for East German record scorer Streich, who started his professional career in Rostock, the hosts were the more active team. Hanno Behrens (4th) and Ryan Malone (6th) missed the early lead, Verhoek made it better from a few meters just before the break. Regensburg became more dangerous after the change of sides and rewarded themselves with the equaliser. The guests then took control of the game, Andreas Albers (71st) hit the post.
FC Ingolstadt 04 – SC Paderborn 07 0: 1 (0: 0)
The relegation of FC Ingolstadt is as good as sealed. In the home game against SC Paderborn, the Schanzer lost 0:1 (0:0). With 19 points, Ingolstadt slipped to last place in the table and is ten points behind Dynamo Dresden in relegation rank 16. Florent Muslija (70th, penalty kick) scored for the SCP in front of 4219 fans.
With ten points, Ingolstadt is the weakest home team in the league. The small winning streak of Bayern, who had scored four points from the last two games, also came to an end. The SCP is placed in the front midfield.
East Westphalia had their first opportunity in the first minute. However, after a fine individual performance, Muslija narrowly missed the opposing goal. Paderborn’s Philipp Klement (55th) put the ball on the crossbar with a failed cross ball. The guests had the better offensive actions, Ingolstadt hardly developed any danger and once again lived up to its reputation as the least dangerous team in the 2nd division.
1. FC Heidenheim – FC Erzgebirge Aue 0:2 (0:0)
Erzgebirge Aue kept the last glimmer of hope alive for staying up in the league. After four defeats in a row at home strong 1. FC Heidenheim, coach Pawel Dotschew’s team surprisingly won 2-0 (0-0) and reduced the gap to Dynamo Dresden in the relegation place to seven points.
Nevertheless, an almost perfect final sprint is needed to remain in the league on the last four matchdays. Ben Zolinski (54th, 80th) secured the second away win of the season with his brace. The frighteningly weak Heidenheimers for their part gambled away the last vague chances of promotion with only their second home defeat, in the final sprint it is only about a conciliatory conclusion.
In an extremely confused first half, Heidenheim’s Christian Kühlwetter had the only opportunity worth mentioning after just 40 seconds, but aimed centimeters too high. Even after the change, the game remained at a manageable level. Heidenheim in particular was disappointing across the board, while Aue was convincing at least in a combative manner. Zolinski only scored after a free kick from the crowd before he kept his nerves alone in front of the goal.