19,000 spectators were admitted to Mannheim’s Carl Benz Stadium (February 20), 1,900 were with FCK. Almost non-stop they sang about the derby, which offered them heated duels, but no goals. It ended 0-0.
FCK midfielder Felix Götze replaced injured
In one of these duels, Lautern’s Felix Götze, who had started for René Klingenburg (fifth yellow card), twisted his ankle. Götze had to be replaced after a quarter of an hour with a pained face. Daniel Hanslik came into play.
Derby: Waldhofs Sohm and Lauterns Boyd with first chances
Mannheim struggled to put FCK, the best defensive in the league, under pressure early on. But it took 21 minutes for the first dangerous situation to develop. Striker Pascal Sohm took a cross in FCK’s penalty area under pressure, but couldn’t finish. Marc Schnatterer’s shot was also blocked. The Red Devils, who for their part found little room for maneuver in the Mannheim defence, had their first chance through Terrence Boyd shortly afterwards. Passed on by Kenny Prince Redondo, the striker took aim from a distance, Timo Königsmann made a save in the hosts’ goal. It was Boyd and Marlon Ritter who tried long-range shots before half-time. At the other end, Schnatterer demanded a penalty, but referee Deniz Aytekin, who controlled the game with a calm demeanor, refused.
Waldhof’s Adrien Lebeau injured, Sohm and Boyd forgiven again
The second half started like the first: with intense duels and an injury. This time it hit Mannheim’s Adrien Lebeau. He had to be substituted and was replaced by Joseph Boyamba. And like in the first round, Sohm and Boyd had the first chances. Mannheim’s Sohm pushed the ball past the goal on the right from close range, and a few scenes later Lautern’s Boyd fired well over the goal a few yards from the goal. It was the biggest opportunity of the game up to that point. Both strikers should have given their teams the lead. Boyd said afterwards: “I wanted to bang the thing in full pot. I feel like the only loser in the derby because I could have given victory to Lautern – or should have.”
The derby, which was not only demonstrated by these scenes, picked up speed. Of two determined teams, Mannheim seemed even more determined, even closer to the first goal, driven by vociferous fans. Shots, for example by Marcel Costly, were unsuccessful. The last big opportunity was missed by Marcel Seegert after a corner. The game ended without a goal. “We can’t blame ourselves, but we’re currently lacking the efficiency and the necessary bit of luck in the last third,” said Mannheim’s Marco Höger on “MagentaSport”. But the midfielder saw a lot of positives. “We can build on the way we played and I think it’s also an appreciation to see Kaiserslautern celebrating that point,” he said.
Mannheim moves up to fourth place, FCK is second
As in the first leg. At that time, FCK had seen two red cards in the first half and still won a point. Since then, the team has climbed from 15th to second place, where they currently have 47 points. The Mannheimers, who repeatedly appeared in the top three in the first half of the season, are fourth with 43 points, but have already played 27 games and thus one more than FCK.
Source: SWR