In the 2nd Bundesliga, 1. FC Kaiserslautern earned a point on coach Friedhelm Funkel’s debut. At 1. FC Nürnberg, the FCK presented itself more stable than in the defeats in Elversberg and against Paderborn (both 1:2).
Nuremberg and Kaiserslautern drew 1-1 (0-1) on Sunday (February 18, 2024). Richmond Tachie (34th) gave the Palatinate guests the lead, Nuremberg’s offensive jewel Can Uzun (64th) later equalized with a fine shot from distance. In terms of the table, the point doesn’t really help either team. Lautern now has 22 points and is in relegation place 16, Nuremberg is in tenth place with 30 points.
Lautern’s Funkel is satisfied, Nuremberg’s Fiel is not
After his return to the sidelines, Lautern coach Funkel took stock of the game on the Sportschau micro: “Of course there was a certain tension again. I tried a lot on the line to help the boys. It was important that we take this point with us.” He was satisfied with the performance, Funkel praised the running performance and number of shots on goal.
Sportschau, February 18, 2024 3:54 p.m
“We played against an opponent who was compact and didn’t give up a lot of space”said Funkel’s counterpart, Christian Fiel. The Nuremberg coach complained: “You have to work on the move, you need a good passing speed, you have to make runs deep. We missed all of that.”
Fans inside: 17 minutes of injury time in the first half
The focus in this game was of course Sparkle, but the focus early on turned to the stands. The expected fan protests against the planned entry of an investor into the German Football League (DFL) caused a long interruption in the game (13th). Instead of throwing tennis balls onto the field, as was usual recently, some Nuremberg fans gained access to the interior and presented a banner there.
Dirk Feustel, Sportschau, February 18, 2024 3:54 p.m
Referee Bacher: “We have the greatest interest in continuing the game”
Shortly afterwards, FCN defender Jan Gyamerah sought dialogue with the fans, who then withdrew. However, the interruption meant that referee Michael Bacher called for 17 minutes of added time for the first half. “We are preparing for all scenarios”said Bacher after the sports show game, “We, like all active players, have the greatest interest in continuing the game. And it is all the better that we were able to continue the game after the second interruption.”
Sports show, February 18, 2024 4:45 p.m
Sixer Tomiak wins the ball before FCK takes the lead
In terms of sport, the first section went according to FCK’s wishes with new coach Funkel. The experienced coach opted for a 4-2-3-1 system and preferred the regular central defender Boris Tomiak. He acted as a second six alongside Filip Kaloc. And so Tomiak intercepted a bad pass from Ahmet Gürleyen, Kenny Redondo then set up for Tachie, who took the lead.
Defensively, the Palatinate presented a stable performance, while up front Kaiserslautern managed to set more dangerous accents than FCN. Although Nuremberg had 62 percent of the ball possession, the guests were clearly ahead in terms of shots on goal (2:11) at the end of the first half. The “Red Devils” were also a bit lucky that Uzun missed the equalizer in a duel with FCK goalkeeper Julian Krahl (40th).
Sports show, February 18, 2024 3:55 p.m
Fantastic Uzun shot brings Nuremberg the equalizer
The playful picture remained unchanged in the second section. Nuremberg was entrusted with the game design by Lautern, although the home team simply couldn’t think of enough for a long time.
But then: Erik Wekesser’s direct free kick brought danger (54th), before the game continued to run its course. So Kaiserslautern couldn’t clear up an FCN attack, Sebastian Andersson laid off for Uzun, whose fantastic shot from around 20 meters went beyond the reach of FCK goalkeeper Krahl to equalize.
Nuremberg came close again in the final minutes
The Lauterers were careful until the end of the game not to give up the game completely. It was an increasingly tough affair with many close duels. Joker Dickson Abiama almost scored FCK’s second goal shortly after coming on as a substitute (69′).
The game could have gone either way, Krahl made a strong save against Nuremberg’s Andersson (89′), and Lukas Schmelzer also narrowly missed the FCN winning goal (90′).
Kaiserslautern welcomes KSC, Nuremberg visits Fürth
The FCK has another home game on the next 23rd matchday. Then the Lauterers welcome Karlsruher SC on the Betzenberg (Saturday, 1 p.m.). And 1. FC Nürnberg has to play away at SpVgg Greuther Fürth (Sunday, 1.30 p.m.).