3rd league: Bahn shoots Waldhof Mannheim in third place

Waldhof Mannheim prevailed in a close game against FC Ingolstadt and shot itself to the relegation place.

Bentley Baxter Bahn (32′ & 88′ with a penalty kick) and Dominik Martinovic (54′) scored the goals in Waldhof Mannheim’s 3-2 win over FC Ingolstadt. Patrick Schmidt (56th) and former Mannheimer Valmir Sulejmani (90th) gave the Schanzer hope twice. Coach Christian Neidhart’s team made it to the relegation zone.

Mannheim started with a lot of pressure and quickly got stuck in the Oberbayern penalty area. However, the FCI managed to defend the numerous crosses and shot attempts. Then the game tipped. First, Alexander Rossipal maneuvered the ball almost into his own goal after a cross from Pascal Testroet (18′). Then Waldhof keeper Jan-Christoph Bartels was just able to save against Patrick Schmidt with his fingertips (27th). And just two minutes later, Marcel Seegert tackled a testroet feint and had to watch as his shot narrowly missed the goal.

Bahn with a double pack for Waldhof Mannheim

But in the middle of this phase, Waldhof Mannheim burst with the lead. Bentley Baxter Bahn heaved the ball from the edge of the penalty area into the left corner of the goal (32nd) – a lucky 1-0 lead for Waldhof Mannheim and at the same time the half-time position.

Mannheim also started the second half with a lot of verve and was successful again: Berkan Taz served Dominik Martinovic with a through pass in the 16th. The native of Stuttgart curled the ball precisely into the far corner to take a 2-0 lead (54′). Was that the decision? No. Just two minutes later, Rossipal was unable to prevent FCI striker Patrick Schmidt from scoring the goal from a corner (56′). From then on, Waldhof Mannheim was exposed to furious attacks and could only rarely become dangerous itself. In one of the rare counterattacks, FCI defender Donald Nduka bumped into substitute Daniel Keita-Ruel in the penalty area. Bahn casually converted to 3:1.

Waldhof Mannheim with a giant step in the promotion race

But again it only took two minutes until Mannheim had to accept the next goal – from Valmir Sulejmani (88th) -. But the Palatinate were able to save the narrow 3:2 victory over time. Also because Dominik Franke was sent off with a red card in added time because of an emergency brake.

For Waldhof Mannheim it was the third win in a row and a giant step in the fight for promotion. Because Mannheim benefits from the defeat of SV Wehen Wiesbaden at SC Freiburg II, now has 48 points and moves past the Hessians to third place. That actually entitles you to relegation. However, because the Breisgauers are not allowed to be promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga as a second representative, third place in the current season could also be enough for direct promotion.