The start of the 23rd matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga is to the liking of the top trio. While table leaders Darmstadt 98, Hamburger SV and 1. FC Heidenheim are only in action over the course of the weekend, the pursuers from Paderborn and Kaiserslautern lost their feathers.
SC Paderborn – FC St. Pauli 1:2 (0:2)
Chaser SC Paderborn suffered a setback in the promotion race of the 2nd Bundesliga. Coach Lukas Kwasniok’s team lost their home game against the in-form FC St. Pauli 1-2 (0-2) on Friday and threatens to lose sight of the promotion ranks in the further course of the 23rd matchday. A brace from Lukas Daschner (15th/42nd) gave Hamburg their sixth win in a row in front of 15,000 spectators. Karol Mets’ own goal (51st) no longer jeopardized the away win.
The guests are now four points behind Paderborn, who, fourth in the table, are the first pursuers of the top trio with Darmstadt, HSV and Heidenheim. Third-placed Heidenheim could extend its lead on Saturday (8:30 p.m. / Sky) in the top game at Darmstadt 98 to seven points. Pauli presented himself very effectively in East Westphalia. Daschner brought the Kiezklub forward with the first chance, but the goal shouldn’t have counted: A throw-in, which caused the goal situation, should have been given for the SCP. Of course, the Hamburgers didn’t care much. After a counterattack, which Daschner completed again, the score was already 2-0. The SCP was now under pressure – but hoped in vain for an equalizer after a slapstick own goal by the Mets.
1. FC Magdeburg – 1. FC Kaiserslautern 2-0 (1-0)
After the third away defeat in a row, 1. FC Kaiserslautern is in danger of losing touch with the promotion places. Coach Dirk Schuster’s team lost the promotion duel at 1. FC Magdeburg 0:2 (0:1) and failed to move closer to the relegation place, at least for the time being. The FCM, on the other hand, confirmed its upward trend and continued to distance itself from the danger zone. Moritz-Broni Kwarteng (41st) and Tatsuya Ito (65th) scored the goals for Magdeburg, who clinched their third win in the past four games. At Kaiserslautern, on the other hand, the offensive is a bit of a concern: For the third time in a row, the Palatinate remained without a goal away from home.
Magdeburg made it clear from the start that the gloomy home series should come to an end. Most recently, coach Christian Titz’s team won in their own stadium in October, so FCM immediately pushed for the opening goal. Mohammed El Hankouri (11th) failed with a direct acceptance of FCK goalkeeper Andreas Luthe, who a little later also fended off a long-range shot from Magdeburg (12th). When it was 1-0, Luc Castaignos put the ball away for Jason Ceka, whose pass was used by Kwarteng. Only after the break did Kaiserslautern have a chance to equalize through Terrence Boyd (56th). Nevertheless, Magdeburg hardly came under pressure in this phase either, but dominated the game with a lot of possession and control. Ito raised after a great combination.
