1. FC Heidenheim has to tremble in the 2nd Bundesliga for direct promotion. After the defeat in a spectacular game against SC Paderborn, FCH can feel Hamburger SV breathing down their necks.
Due to the 2:3 (2:1) at SC Paderborn, Heidenheim’s lead in third place and HSV is only one point with two games left.
“We’ve tried and invested everything. But we’ll keep going – we’re in pole position as far as second place is concerned,” said Heidenheim’s trainer Frank Schmidt on the sports show microphone. You won’t look back, you’ll want to win the next few games yourself: “That won’t pull us down.”
For Paderborn’s coach Lukas Kwasniok it was “a great victory”. In the second half, his team should have played football with joy and fun, before it was too tense: “At home we are a force, take the audience with us. Of course, it doesn’t happen every day that we succeeded so perfectly.”
Heidenheim has at least the relegation sure
However, in the two remaining games against SV Sandhausen and Jahn Regensburg, Heidenheim still has every opportunity to make direct promotion to the Bundesliga perfect.
FCH has already secured a place among the top three. Paderborn, in fourth place and six points behind HSV, only has a theoretical chance of being relegated.
In Paderborn both opponents turned one deficit each. It initially looked rather tranquil on the pitch.
Heidenheim turns backlog
Little happened in the penalty areas until the middle of the first half, when Paderborn’s Kai Klefisch shocked the guests. His low shot from 22 meters hit the right corner of the goal unreachable (26th minute). Apparently a wake-up call for Heidenheim, who – who else – Tim Kleindienst equalized shortly afterwards.
Heidenheim’s top scorer prevailed in the penalty area and completed a flat shot into the right corner (30′). It only took a few minutes and the guests had turned the game around: Jan-Niklas Beste served Denis Thomalla in the penalty area with a great plug-in pass and completed it from 13 meters (37th) to make it 2-1 for FCH.
Paderborn’s Kwasniok makes the right change
Paderborn’s coach Lukas Kwasniok showed a lucky hand at the beginning of the second half: Joker Marvin Pieringer, who he had substituted, pricked immediately when he scored from a tight angle to equalize (50′).
And the hosts followed up in turbo mode: A little later, Florent Muslija scored for the SCP to lead again (52nd).
Paderborn turned the game upside down within two minutes. Heidenheim then tried to equalize again – without success.
Paderborn in Bielefeld, Heidenheim against Sandhausen
On Matchday 33, SC Paderborn is a guest at Arminia Bielefeld (Saturday, May 20th, 2023 at 1 p.m.). Heidenheim receives SV Sandhausen at the same time.