Bundesliga 2, Matchday 11 highlights: Hannover go top, Fortuna Düsseldorf lose again
Hannover took advantage of another Fortuna Düsseldorf slip-up to go top of Bundesliga 2. Elsewhere, Hamburg were held to a draw by Miroslav Klose's Nuremberg and Darmstadt's resurgence under Florian Kohfeldt continued apace...
Preußen Münster 1-0 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Goals: 1-0 ter Horst (26')
The visitors’ hold on top spot was on shaky ground on Friday night after Daniel Thioune’s side suffered a third defeat in four second-tier games. Münster extended their unbeaten sequence to three games as a result, with Jano ter Horst the home hero thanks to his first-half header from close range after Andras Nemeth supplied an accurate centre. The result brings plenty of relief to the Eagles as they seek to push themselves further from the drop zone, while Fortuna will rue several missed chances when the dust settles on this encounter.
Hannover 2-1 Karlsruhe
Goals: 0-1 Franke 45', 1-1 Ngankam (66'), 2-1 Halstenberg 89' (pen.)
Hannover staged a rousing comeback to beat Karlsruhe 2-1 and take pole position from Fortuna on Saturday, Germany international Marcel Halstenberg slotting home from the spot to claim all three points with just a minute of regulation time to go. Despite the victory, it was a tough day at the office for Stefan Leitl's men, especially after they fell behind to Marcel Franke's triumphant header just before the break. However, substitute Jessic Ngankam breathed new life in to the home attack and slammed a superb strike into the roof of the net from close range to level it, paving the way for Halstenberg's steely spot-kick at the death.
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Hamburg 1-1 Nuremberg
Goals: 1-0 Elfadli 15’, 1-1 Emreli 63‘
Nuremberg went to Hamburg looking for a win that would have allowed them to leapfrog HSV in the table. The hosts were the better team in the opening 30 minutes, making their advantage count thanks to the tenacious Daniel Elfadli. Nuremberg were a different side in the second half, though. Time after time they carved Hamburg open only to be halted by keeper Daniel Heuer-Fernandes, who was in inspired form. They finally equalised midway through the second half through Mahir Emreli and pushed on for a winner, but it wasn’t to be, and the points were shared.
Hertha Berlin 0-1 Cologne
Goals: 0-1 Lemperle 30'
Cologne followed up their 3-0 victory over Bundesliga club Holstein Kiel in the DFB Cup in midweek with a narrow victory over Hertha in Berlin. The only goal came shortly after the hour mark, when Tim Lemperle ran onto Dominique Heintz's brilliant past before finding the back of the net. The win is Effzeh's first in seven Bundesliga 2 matches, while Hertha suffer defeat for the first time in five league outings.
Greuther Fürth 1-5 Darmstadt
Goals: 0-1 Förster 30', 0-2 Lakenmacher 40', 0-3 Lidberg 45'+3, 0-4 Corredor 51', 0-5 López 77', 1-5 Hrgota 90'
Darmstadt clocked a big win away to Greuther Fürth, overwhelming their hosts after an initial feeling-out period and taking a 3-0 lead into the break after Philipp Förster, substitute Fynn-Luca Lakenmacher and Isac Lidberg all proved too much for the home defence. The match was all but over when Killian Corredor made it 4-0 six minutes into the second half, but defender Sergio López decided to get in on the act too, making it 5-0 before Branimir Hrgota netted a superb consolation. The rousing win sees Darmstadt climb towards the top half of the table, leapfrogging their opponents into 12th place.
Kaiserslautern 2-2 Magdeburg
Goals: 0-1 Loric 11‘, 0-2 Hercher 13‘, 1-2 Tomiak 32‘ (pen.), 2-2 Ache 68‘
Red cards: Michel 36’, Kaars 90+3’
With four goals and two red cards, it was certainly an entertaining Sunday afternoon at the Fritz-Walter Stadion. The visitors took the lead through an outstanding Samuel Loric volley from outside the area just over 10 minutes into the game. A sublime second followed not long after, with Philipp Hercher taking down a long ball brilliantly before calmly slotting past Julian Krahl. It only went downhill from there for the visitors, though, as they conceded a penalty, which Boris Tomiak tucked away, and received a red card within the space of five minutes when Falko Michel committed a second bookable offence. 'Lautern eventually found their equaliser through Ragnar Ache with just over 20 minutes left, but couldn’t find that winning goal. Martijn Kaars was also shown a second yellow late on, but it was too late in the day for the hosts to take advantage of it.
Jahn Regensburg 1-0 Elversberg
Goals: 1-0 Ganaus 16'
Red card: Galjen 90'
The hosts made it back-to back wins following a defensive masterclass against visiting Elversberg. Noah Ganaus converted Bryan Hein’s cross in the 16th minute for the game’s only goal as the division’s basement side picked up what could prove to be a crucial three points. For their part, Elversberg had most of the game, but failed to add to a four-game unbeaten streak.
There was no separating Bundesliga 2 strugglers Ulm and Schalke on Friday evening, with the point not a great deal of help for either side as they look to pull clear of the relegation zone. Ulm were the more proactive of the two teams, particularly in the second half, with Maurice Kratternmacher a lively presence in attack. However, a lack of quality and precision in the final third at both ends of the pitch ultimately meant that the spoils were shared.
Paderborn 0-0 Eintracht Braunschweig
Sent off: Hoffmeier 72'
High-flying Paderborn played host to a struggling Braunschweig team on Sunday afternoon. The game was a cagey affair, combative in midfield, but both sides lacked that incisive edge and final ball. The first half went by without many talking points, but midway through the second, Marcel Hoffmeier was sent off for violent conduct on Sebastian Polter. Braunschweig pushed forward, hoping to make their man advantage count, and were the better side, but they couldn’t capitalise on the sending off. The points split, Braunschweig drop to 17th place and Paderborn climb to second.
Watch: The top 5 goals from Matchday 11
Click here for the latest Bundesliga 2 standings
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