The fans’ actions dominated the game between 1. FC Magdeburg and Nuremberg for a long time. Then the game tipped in favor of the bottom team within three minutes.
Relegation candidate 1. FC Magdeburg achieved an important and surprising victory on matchday 14 of the 2nd Bundesliga. The bottom team won 3-0 (0-0) against the in-form 1. FC Nürnberg with goals from Mateusz Zukowski (73′, 90’+5) and Maximilian Breunig (90’+10). Nuremberg’s Rafael Lubach was shown a yellow-red card for repeated foul play (76th), and the guests were outnumbered and were no longer able to turn the game around.
Magdeburg ended a three-game losing streak and reduced the gap to 15th place to three points. “We have rewarded ourselves,” Magdeburg’s coach Petrik Sander told the Sportschau. “The boys always stuck with it and believed in it.” Goalscorer Breunig called the victory “brutally important. But we have to keep it up and keep scoring until Christmas.”.
Nuremberg, on the other hand, lost for the first time in six games and is ninth in the table, five points ahead of the relegation zone. “We have to keep looking down,” said Nuremberg coach Miroslav Klose on Sky. The defeat is a “Warning shot at the right time”.
Fans with 30 minutes Mood boycott
The game started with a special fan protest. Due to the planned security measures, many active fan groups are currently silent for the first twelve minutes of the game. The fans from Nuremberg and Magdeburg went one better, staying away from the game for twelve minutes and only returning to their usual chants after 30 minutes.
The 1. FC Magdeburg fan block remained empty for the first 12 minutes in protest
The game, in turn, only really started after 41 minutes. After only smaller opportunities on both sides, Magdeburg’s Philipp Hercher had the first really big chance of the game, running freely towards the goal on the half-right, but was denied by the well-positioned Jan Reichert.
Nuremberg’s goalkeeper was also in the spotlight a minute later. This time he let a harmless shot from Laurin Ulrich bounce uncontrollably to the side and the ball bounced past by just centimeters.
Pyrotechnics ensure long interruptions
At the beginning of the second half, the focus was once again on a fan campaign, this time pyrotechnics in the Magdeburg block. The resulting smoke was so thick that referee Felix Bickel had to interrupt the game for a long time. The players kept warm with passes and running exercises, and the game only continued after just under 13 minutes.
Players from 1. FC Nürnberg and 1. FC Magdeburg during the break.
Just as the ball was rolling again, the Nuremberg fans also set off pyrotechnics. This time the smoke development remained manageable.
Double pack from Zukowski
The action on the pitch remained balanced until the game tipped in Magdeburg’s favor within three minutes. Zukowski first took the lead with a direct pass from a free-kick cross from Baris Atik. Just three minutes later, Lubach had to be sent off with a yellow-red card because he was a step too late against Hercher.
Magdeburg’s Mateusz Zukowski makes it 1-0
Magdeburg took advantage of their superiority to not allow anything defensively and to secure the preliminary decision with a counterattack. Alexander Nollenberger had plenty of space on the left and put it across the goal where Zukowski just had to push in.
Nollenberger with second assist
The summer signing from Poland had been out for a long time following foot surgery and scored his first two goals in only his second appearance for Magdeburg. “He’s still in the development phase,” said Sander. “And if this development phase begins like this, then there are still exciting times ahead.”
Shortly afterwards, Nollenberger also prepared Breunig’s goal to make it 3-0, but another goal from Breunig was disallowed for offside. The victory was deserved in the end, but it was a little too clear.
Magdeburg in Leipzig, Nuremberg against Fürth
Magdeburg will be guests at RB Leipzig in the DFB Cup on Tuesday evening (9 p.m.). Nuremberg welcomes Greuther Fürth on Sunday afternoon (1:30 p.m.).