Second division record set
©IMAGO
1. FC Köln are autumn champions in the 2nd Bundesliga. On matchday 17, the billy goats secured the lead in the table thanks to a win at 1. FC Kaiserslautern with just 31 points. This is the lowest number with which a second division club has ever been at the top after the first half of the season since the introduction of the three-point rule (1995). Only twice before, Mainz (2008/09) and Aachen (2003/04), has a team celebrated the autumn championship with just 31 points. In the very tight promotion race in the 2nd league, Lautern could also have won the first round title; Instead, the Red Devils are only in ninth place after the defeat against Cologne.
In the narrow 1-0 (1-0) for Cologne in the top game at FCK, Dejan Ljubicic scored the winning goal in the 37th minute for the Bundesliga relegated team, who had been unbeaten in seven league games.
Bad surprise for Darmstadt: defeat in Regensburg
SV Darmstadt 98 under coach Florian Kohfeldt suffered a completely surprising setback at the end of the first half of the season at bottom team SSV Jahn Regensburg. After nine games without defeat, the offensively unimaginative Hessians suffered their fifth defeat of the season in a rustic 1:2 (0:0). The Regensburg team remain bottom of the table, but after their third three-pointer, they are regaining hope in the relegation battle. The gap to relegation place 16 is only three points for Jahn, who has the most harmless offensive in the league.
In front of 10,008 spectators, Kai Pröger in the 65th minute and shortly before the end Noah Ganau (90th + 1) ensured a somewhat conciliatory end to the year for the Upper Palatinate team. With the help of Darmstadt goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen, Rasim Bulic (72nd) hit the post. Kai Klefisch’s connection (90+3) in a rapid final phase came too late for the Lilies.
Hannover 96 also had the autumn championship in sight before the match day. After a 0-0 draw against Hertha BSC, the Reds instead remain in seventh place. Instead of goals there are two sendings off in the match report; On the 96er side, Fabian Kunze had to leave the field in the 57th minute after his second yellow card, the Berliners were decimated in the 89th minute by a yellow-red card for Márton Dárdai. Hertha slipped to 12th place in the first half of the season.