2nd league, 24th matchday
The Royal Blues despair at KSC and have to accept a setback in the promotion race. FC St. Pauli, on the other hand, is completely different – and 1. FC Nürnberg hopes again.
In traditional jerseys without the name of their Russian main sponsor Gazprom, second division soccer team Schalke 04 has had a damper on its hopes of promotion. The Royal Blues did not get more than 1: 1 (1: 1) at Karlsruher SC after the turbulence surrounding their controversial financier and have to worry about their place in the top group. The KSC, on the other hand, continues to rank in the no man’s land of the table after the draw.
Record scorer Simon Terodde (27th) scored his 16th goal of the season after a corner kick in front of 15,000 spectators in the sold-out Wildpark stadium. Just seven minutes later, South Korea’s Kyoung-Rok Choi brought Baden back into the game.
The hosts acted confidently with the tailwind of their two previous successes and kept looking for opportunities to close. The Knappen, on the other hand, had some problems bridging the midfield. Consequently, Terodde only scored from a set piece and benefited from blatant positional errors by his guards.
St. Pauli sovereign
FC St. Pauli set an example in the battle for promotion with a commanding victory over FC Ingolstadt, who are candidates for relegation. The Hamburgers moved up to the top of the table with the 3:1 (2:1) in the Audi Sportpark. It was a convincing reaction to the most recent 0:3 against Hannover 96 and at the same time a successful preparation for the DFB Cup quarter-finals next Tuesday at Bundesliga club Union Berlin.
For the Ingolstadt team, on the other hand, the home defeat is a hard hit in the fight to stay in the class. The direct return to the 3rd league is getting closer for the bottom of the table. St. Pauli was superior in front of 5,511 spectators and after goals by free-kick artist Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (22nd minute), goal scorer Guido Burgstaller (37th) and Simon Makienok (55th), who also headed the post ( 61.), the deserved winner. The hosts equalized through attacker Dennis Eckert Ayensa (34th) to make it 1-1.
Nuremberg back on top
After two wins in a row, 1. FC Nürnberg is back in the running for promotion. With the 2-0 (1-0) win at FC Hansa Rostock, coach Robert Klauß’s team came close to the promotion ranks. In the coming week, the Franconians have the chance to further improve their situation against Hamburger SV against a direct competitor.
In Rostock, Pascal Köpke (34th) gave the guests the lead in front of 10,000 spectators with his second goal of the season. Taylan Duman (63rd) made the decision on Saturday. Both players had already scored the goals in the 2-0 win against Jahn Regensburg a week earlier. Duman was also instrumental in Köpke’s opening goal. He had failed with a penalty he caused himself to Hansa goalkeeper Markus Kolke. Köpke reacted the quickest and headed the rebounding ball into the goal.
For Hansa, the home misery continued with the defeat. The promoted team has only won twice in their own stadium so far. After the Sunday games, the Mecklenburgers can still slip to the relegation place.