HSV stumbles, Darmstadt and Heidenheim do their duty: The promotion race of the 2nd division remains extremely exciting.
The unusual spectator role drove Tim Walter to the brink of despair. “You sometimes tear your desk apart with the chances we missed,” reported the suspended Hamburger SV coach after the zero against Holstein Kiel: “It doesn’t help if I’m not on the bench.”
The statisticians recorded 24:5 shots on target and 17:3 corners for Hamburger SV, but a goal didn’t want to be scored – much to the chagrin of Walters, who was banned from indoor play after his red card at Karlsruher SC the week before. In the game, he retreated to an empty police office and then vented his frustration.
“You have ten times more stress there. I’m not at all excited on the sidelines because I’m with the boys there,” said Walter, the emotions had to come out somehow: “It’s annoying that you don’t score a goal, but we have it not deserved because we were too nervous in the situations.”
Rise again within reach for HSV
And because table leaders Darmstadt 98 ended their recent negative run in a 2-0 (2-0) win over 1. FC Kaiserslautern and 1. FC Heidenheim (5-2 against KSC) continued to score diligently, the Hamburgers slipped after 25. Game day down to third place in the table. Is history really repeating itself again?
In the fifth year, the former Bundesliga Dino is now trying to return to the top flight. But just in the hot phase of the season, the results are – again – not right: HSV only won one of the last four games. After all, fourth place is a comfortable nine points away – and Walter is back on the bench after the international break at Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Darmstadt and Heidenheim set the pace in the promotion race at the weekend. The lilies, in particular, felt a heavy heart after two previous defeats. Filip Stojilkovic (36th/43rd) decided the game against FCK with a brace and brought Darmstadt back to the top of the table after Heidenheim’s victory on Friday.
“We really sent a good signal,” said Darmstadt coach Torsten Lieberknecht on the Sport1 microphone and added with a view to the championship lead: “We were actually never away, but now we’re back.”