Matchday 32 highlights: Hamburg postpone St. Pauli promotion party, Fortuna Düsseldorf stay on course
St. Pauli will have to wait to confirm their promotion after losing to city rivals Hamburg, while Fortuna Düsseldorf took another step towards the top flight with victory over Nuremberg.
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Matchday 32 results
Hamburg 1-0 St. Pauli
Goals: 1-0 Glatzel (85’)
Sent off: Saliakas (90’+7)
Hamburg delayed the promotion party of city rivals St. Pauli by at least a week after edging a fiercely contested derby on Friday night. The hosts had been determined not to provide the stage for Pauli’s celebrations, and were not afraid to show it, dominating aggressively from the outset. Robert Glatzel had a goal disallowed in the first half and Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer another after the break, with Immanuel Pherai also hitting the bar against the off-colour league leaders, before Glatzel struck late on to snatch all three points.
Fortuna Düsseldorf 3-1 Nuremberg
Goals: 1-0 Vermeij (34’), 2-0 Vermeij (45’+1), 2-1 Márquez (56’), 3-1 Jóhannesson (72’)
Fortuna Düsseldorf took another step towards securing the promotion play-off spot with a deserved home victory over Nuremberg. Vincent Vermeij struck a first-half brace to set the hosts on course for all three points but the visitors – hovering above the relegation zone – rallied after the break and pulled one back through Iván Márquez. However, Fortuna were not to be denied and Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson had the final say, sealing the win in the closing stages.
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Wehen Wiesbaden 0-1 Holstein Kiel
Goals: 0-1 Becker (65')
Holstein Kiel are on the verge of a first-ever promotion to the Bundesliga after defeating struggling Wehen Wiesbaden away from home. The league-leaders were not at their best throughout the encounter, but only needed one strike to triumph - even if it was a fortuitous one as Timo Becker's header bounced off Keanan Bennetts' hip and over the line. Kiel now need just two points from their remaining two matches to confirm their place amongst the elite next term, while Wiesbaden sit just one point above 17th-placed Hansa Rostock in the relegation zone.
Elversberg 4-2 Hertha Berlin
Goals: 1-0 Schnellbacher (18'), 1-1 Maza (27'), 2-1 Schnellbacher (54'), 2-2 P. Dardái (61'), 3-2 Wanner (65'), 4-2 Koffi (88')
Elversberg are now mathematically safe from relegation after beating Hertha Berlin 4-2. Luca Schnellbacher's header shortly before the midway point of the first half put his side in front, but Ibrahim Maza equalised soon after. Within 10 minutes of the restart, Schnellbacher completed his brace from a tight angle, before Palko Dardái restored parity once more with a header. Elversberg, though, were not to be denied, as Paul Wanner and Kevin Koffi netted in the final half-hour to seal the win. The two teams are now just separated by two points in table, with Hertha ninth and their opponents 10th.
Greuther Fürth 3-3 Eintracht Braunschweig
Goals: 0-1 Helgason (12'), 0-2 Philippe (15'), 1-2 Lemperle (33'), 2-2 Wagner (67'), 3-2 Sieb (75'), 3-3 Philippe (79')
Red card: Krauße (45'+4)
Out to put some much needed daylight between themselves and the bottom three, Braunschweig raced into a two-goal lead thanks to goals from Thórir Jóhann Helgason and Rayan Philippe inside quarter of an hour. Tim Lemperle soon pulled one back for the hosts, though, whose chances of turning the game in their favour were boosted by Robin Krauße's sending off in first-half injury-time. They managed just that and took the lead with 15 minutes to play before Philippe's second hauled the visitors level. Lemperle had the chance to win it from the penalty spot with two minutes remaining but couldn't convert from 12-yards, allowing Braunschweig to hold on for a point.
Kaiserslautern 4-1 Magdeburg
Goals: 1-0 Hanslik (15’), 2-0 Hanslik (20’), 3-0 Redondo (57’), 3-1 Heber (79’)
Kaiserslautern picked up a vital win in their fight against the drop to climb away from the relegation play-off spot. The visitors started well but were lacked the incision to seriously threaten the home goal before Daniel Hanslik struck twice in quick succession. Buoyed by their lead, the Red Devils continued to get forward but were unable to add to their advantage before the interval. Kenny Prince Redondo effectively put the game to bed with a powerful left-footed drive in the second half, and although Magdeburg reduced the deficit in the closing stages through Daniel Heber, Jan Elvedi replied almost instantly for Lautern to crown a morale-boosting win.
Hannover 3-2 Paderborn
Goals: 1-0 Gindorf (6'), 2-0 Voglsammer (10'), 3-0 Tresoldi (18'), 3-1 Kostons (27'), 3-2 Obermair (40')
Hannover won for the first time in four matches as they defeated Paderborn 3-2 on home turf. Die Roten raced into a three-goal lead, as Lars Gindorf, Andreas Voglsammer and Nicolò Tresoldi also struck inside the opening 20 minutes. By the break, though, their lead had been cut to just the one goal as Koen Kostons and Raphael Obermair found the back of the net for the visitors. The second half was disjointed, as both struggled to maintain their offensive threat, and the hosts ultimately held on to secure all three points. They sit sixth, three points and two positions above Paderborn.
Hansa Rostock 1-2 Karlsruher
Goals: 1-0 Neidhart (33'), 1-1 Zivzivadze (52'), 1-2 Wanitzek (56')
Starting the day second-bottom, Rostock were looking for a victory that would leapfrog them into the safety of 15th. And they were on course for three points when Nico Neidhart put them in front after half an hour. Their lead lasted until just seven minutes after the turnaround, however. Budu Zivzivadze was the party pooper, levelling things up for the visitors. Karlsruhe were in front just four minutes later, and held on for the three points - leaving Rostock on the brink of relegation to the third tier.
Osnabrück 0-4 Schalke
Goals: 0-1 Topp (2'), 0-2 Karaman (5'), 0-3 Ouédraogo, (65'), 0-4 Topp (75')
Osnabrück's relegation back to the 3. Liga the year after promotion was confirmed in their rearranged fixture on Tuesday. Played at St. Pauli's Millerntor due to safety restrictions at the Stadion an der Bremer Brücke, the nominal home side's fate was quickly sealed when Keke Topp and Kenan Karaman put Schalke 2-0 up inside five minutes. Half-time substitute Assan Ouédraogo added a third shortly after the hour mark before youngster Topp bagged his brace and fifth goal of the campaign to round things off. The result ensures that Schalke are now safe in Bundesliga 2 for another year, but Osnabrück are the first team to see their relegation confirmed with two games to go.
Watch: The top 5 goals on Matchday 32
Click here for the latest Bundesliga 2 standings!
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