Conference League
Heidenheim missed out on victory – and had to worry about the round of 16
Updated 12/19/2024 – 10:56 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
On the last matchday of the Conference League, Heidenheim missed a win against St. Gallen. In the fight for the round of 16, the Bundesliga team therefore has to go into the intermediate round.
1. FC Heidenheim missed a direct place in the round of 16 of the Conference League. On Thursday evening, the Heidenheimers couldn’t get past a 1-1 (1-0) draw in the last game of the league phase against FC St. Gallen. A jump into the top eight of the table, which would have allowed direct entry into the round of 16, would only have been possible with a win. The Bundesliga club remains in 15th place and has to prove itself in the second round.
In a hard-fought game, it was 37-year-old Norman Theuerkauf who gave the Bundesliga club the lead with his first ever European Cup goal (30th minute). But especially in the second half, the guests from Switzerland rose again and equalized through Jozo Stanić in the 77th minute. Both teams then tried everything again to score the winning goal. But no one succeeded.
After seven competitive defeats in a row, the draw was at least balm for the soul before the immensely important duel in the Bundesliga. The 16th place hopes to win on Sunday. from coach Frank Schmidt to important points at the bottom of the table, VfL Bochum.
The debutants on the international football stage are now continuing their European Cup journey in the playoffs in the midst of the Bundesliga relegation battle. On Friday (1 p.m.) there will be a draw to see who the Ostalb club will play against on February 13th and 20th for a place in the top 16.
Unlike the Europa League and the Champions League, the league phase of the Conference League ends after just six match days. The only Bundesliga representative had already been assured of participation in the playoffs before the appearance against the Eastern Swiss team.
A week after the “non-performance” (Frank Schmidt) and the 1:3 at Istanbul Başakşehir, the hosts controlled the game from the start in the constant rain. With a lot of possession, they pushed the Swiss into their half in front of 15,000 spectators.
After half an hour, something notable emerged: the fast Sirlord Conteh on the right wing was blocked in his first attempt. His second cross reached left-back Theuerkauf, who shot it unchallenged from five meters.
The guests, coached by former Augsburg Bundesliga coach Enrico Maaßen, got into the game better after the break. The Swiss put Heidenheim’s defense to the test more than in the first half. High-flyer Paul Wanner failed to add to the goal for Heidenheim five minutes before the goal when he hit the post. This took revenge a little later with the equalizer with a header from a corner.