Philipp Klement netted a last-gasp penalty as Kaiserslautern came from behind to earn a 2-1 win away at Fortuna Düsseldorf.

Fortuna Düsseldorf 1-2 Kaiserslautern
Goals: 1-0 Karbownik 14' (assist: Iyoha), 1-1 Kraus 50' (assist: Wunderlich), 1-2 Klement (pen. 90' + 5)

After losing 2-0 to Hannover in their last outing, Düsseldorf were out to prove a point against a Kaiserslautern side that has adapted well to life in the second tier after earning promotion last season. It was one-way traffic for much of the first half as the 'Flingeraner' pegged their opponents back in their own half. 'Roten Teufel' goalkeeper Andreas Luthe was first tested by Christoph Klarer before thwarting a David Kownacki effort. In between, though, there was nothing he could do to stop Michal Karbownik's fierce strike from nestling in the top corner. Marcel Sobottka should have put his side in an even more comfortable position, but could only poke past Luthe and the post after the shot-stopper's poor clearance.

One can only assume Dirk Schuster's half-time team-talk was rousing given Kaiserslautern came out after the interval with an energy and urgency that were not on display before the break. Mike Wunderlich clattered the crossbar within seconds of the restart and then placed a shot wide before the visitors levelled things up. Kevin Kraus replaced Dominik Schad at half-time, and needed less than six minutes to get himself on the scoresheet, nodding home Wunderlich's corner at the near post. As both teams went in search of victory, Luthe needed to be alert to deny Felix Klaus' volley and Kownacki's header before Kaiserslautern were awarded a spot-kick in the fifth minute of injury time when Karbownik felled Lex-Tyger Lobinger in the area. From 12 yards, Klement made no mistake to snatch all three points and move his side up to fourth in the table.

Kevin Kraus' header early in the second half kick-started Kaiserslautern's comeback against Fortuna Düsseldorf. - IMAGO/Kirchner/Marco Steinbrenner/IMAGO/Kirchner-Media

Match stats

• Karbownik's goal was his first in 12 Bundesliga 2 outings since joining on loan from Premier League outfit Brighton in the summer.
• As a result, Düsseldorf have had more different goalscorers (13) than any other team in the Bundesliga 2 this campaign.
• Klement has now scored four of the five penalties he has taken in Bundesliga 2.
• Kaiserslautern have scored five times from corners and nine times overall from set pieces in 2022/23.
• They have also picked up a league-leading ten points from losing positions this term.
• The Red Devils are the only team in the division yet to lose away from home this term (W4 D4).

Teams

Düsseldorf: Kastenmeier - Zimmerman, Klarer, Oberdorf, Karbownik - Hendrix, Sobottka (c) – Iyoha (Appelkamp 76'), Peterson (Klaus 77') – Hennings (Mansfeld 86', replaced by Neto 90'), Kownacki
Unused subs: Wolf, Baah, Bockle, Bodzek, Hoffmann,
Out: Tanaka (knee)
Coach: Daniel Thioune

Kaiserslautern: Luthe – Schad (Kraus 46'), Bormuth, Tomiak, Durm - Ritter, Ciftci (Opoku 46') - Zimmer (c), Wunderlich (Klement 71'), Redondo (Hanslik 87') – Boyd (Lobinger 81')
Unused subs: Spahic, Bunning, Hercher, Zolinski
Out: -
Coach: Dirk Schuster

Matchday 17 round-up

Holstein Kiel 1-1 Hannover
Goals: 1-0 Bartels 9' (assist: Schulz), 1-1 Teuchert (16')

Hannover dropped to fifth in the table after drawing 1-1 with Holstein Kiel. The visitors even went behind after just nine minutes when Finn Bartels headed home a Marvin Schulz cross, finishing off a swift counterattack. The lead didn't last long, though – less than seven minutes, in fact – before the 'Roten' were back on level terms. Cedric Teuchert was the goalscorer, pouncing onto a loose ball to bag from close range for his seventh league strike of the season, a career-best haul. Both sides probed for a winner, but they could not be separated and had to make do with a point apiece.

Hamburg 4-2 Sandhausen
Goals: 1-0 Glatzel (27’), 1-1 Soukou (50’), 2-1 Reis (56’), 2-2 Kinsombi (68’), 3-2 Zhirov (74’), 4-2 Glatzel (80’)

After a bitter defeat at the hands of Greuther Fürth during the week, Hamburg were eager not to head into the winter break on the back of two losses. That much was evident after Robert Glatzel put the Red Shorts 1-0 up from close range after 27 minutes, before Hamburg’s initial period of dominance suddenly petered out. Shortly after the restart, Sandhausen levelled things up with Cebio Soukou beating the hesitant Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer in the box to dispatch the ball into the net. Rallied on by the home crowd, Ludovit Reis restored Hamburg’s lead before Sandhausen struck back once more through Christian Kinsombi to bring the teams level again. But that was where the joy was to end for the visitors with Hamburg finally pulling away and cementing second spot in the table thanks to goals from Aleksandr Zhirov along with Glatzel’s second of the afternoon.

Heidenheim 5-4 Jahn Regensburg
Goals: 1-0 Owusu (14’), 1-1 Kleindienst (21’), 2-1 Beck (36’), 3-1 Kleindienst (39’), 3-2 Makridis (45’), 3-3 Shipnoski (55’), 4-3 Thomalla (76’), 4-4 Yildirim (90’+2), 5-4 Schimmer (90’+)

Heidenheim moved up to third after a 94th minute winner saw them overcome Jahn Regensburg in a nine-goal thriller at the Voith Arena. The hosts even went behind after just 14 minutes when Prince Osei Owusu netted for the visitors to give his side an unexpected lead. The tide quickly turned, though. Goals from Tim Kleindienst and Adrian Beck flipped the game on its head as Heidenheim took the lead for the first time in the match. Kleindienst added his second of the afternoon before Charalambos Makridis pulled one back for the visitors on the stroke of half-time. Shortly after the break, it was the hosts’ turn to squander a lead. Nicklas Shipnoski made it 3-3, before Denis Thomalla edged Heidenheim in front once more. Aygun Yildirim thought he had snatched a late equaliser for the Bavarians, dispatching in the 92nd minute, only for the hosts to run away with all three points after Stefan Schimmer’s 94th minute winner.

Watch: There were 23 goals scored across just three games on Saturday afternoon!

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Karlsruhe 4-4 St. Pauli
Goals: 1-0 Schleusener (12’), 2-0 Wanitzek (16’), 2-1 Eggestein (24’), 3-1 Schleusener (31’), 3-2 Eggestein (35’), 3-3 Smith (43’), 4-3 Kaufmann (50’), 4-4 Daschner (61’)

Bundesliga 2 strugglers Karlsruhe and St. Pauli played out an entertaining 4-4 draw at the BBBank Wildpark, giving both sides a much-needed point as they seek to distance themselves from the relegation pack. Karlsruhe raced into a 2-0 lead with just 16 minutes on the clock after goals from Fabian Schleusener and Marvin Wanitzek. Amidst a frenzied first-half, the visitors hit back. Johannes Eggestein coolly dispatched to make it 2-1, before Schleusener added his second to extend the home side’s lead after 31 minutes. Remarkably though, Karlsruhe did not lead at the break. Eggestein’s second was swiftly followed by Eric Smith’s goal on the stroke of half-time to put the sides level at the break. Mikkel Kaufmann nudged the hosts ahead once more in the 50th minute, with Daschner duly levelling things up just 11 minutes later.

Eintracht Braunschweig 0-1 Hansa Rostock
Goals: 0-1 Ingelsson (86)

Hansa Rostock hauled themselves five points clear of the relegation zone into a congested mid-table thanks to a hard-earned victory in Braunschweig on Saturday evening. The hosts began strongly and were on the front foot for large parts of the game – ending up with 16 efforts on goal compared to Hansa’s seven – but a combination of wayward finishing and some fine goalkeeping from Markus Kolke meant they were unable to find the net. Svante Ingelsson showed them how it was done midway through the second half, the Swedish midfielder registering his first league goal of the season to hand his side all three points.

Arminia Bielefeld 3-1 Magdeburg
Goals: 1-0 Consbruch (30’), 2-0 Gebauer (65’), 3-0 Hack (72’), 3-1 Ito (73’)

Bielefeld won an early relegation six-pointer against fellow strugglers Magdeburg to move out of the bottom two on goal difference. Jomaine Consbruch took full advantage of a defensive mistake to open the scoring after half an hour, and two goals inside seven minutes in the second half from Christian Gebauer and Robin Hack paved the way for three crucial points for the home side. Tatsuya Ito pulled one back for the visitors shortly after Bielefeld’s third, but the damage had been done by then and the hosts held on for the win.

Darmstadt 1-1 Greuther Fürth
Goals: 1-0 Karic (2’), 1-1 Michalski (42’)

Darmstadt’s lead at the Bundesliga 2 summit was cut to two points after they were held to a draw by 10-man Greuther Fürth. Emir Karic put the hosts in front with their first attack of the game, but Damian Michalski equalised from a corner just before half-time. Momentum swung firmly in Darmstadt’s favour early in the second period when Fürth defender Gideon Jung was sent off for a second bookable offence, but the league leaders were unable to make their numerical advantage count, leaving both teams with a point apiece.

Nuremberg 2-1 Paderborn
Goals: 1-0 Duah (36’), 2-0 Duah (55’), 2-1 Justvan (64’)

Paderborn lost a fourth consecutive match to slip down to sixth in the standings, leaving them seven points adrift of the promotion places. Kwadwo Duah struck in each half to set Nuremberg on course for the win, and although Justin Justvan reduced the deficit for the visitors they could not find an equaliser. The result means Der Club can breathe a big sigh of relief, the win lifting them from 17th up to 11th, although they remain just two points clear of the drop zone.

About the clubs

1. FC Kaiserslautern

Fritz-Walter-Stadion

Fortuna Düsseldorf

Merkur Spielarena