The word spectacle is often overused. But there is hardly any other word for what is happening in Braunschweig. The hosts are 3-0 down after 21 minutes, but then they push Bielefeld further towards the end of the league. KSC wins and Hannover remains unlucky in Fürth.
Eintracht Braunschweig - Arminia Bielefeld 3: 3 (2: 3)
Eintracht Braunschweig got another important point in the relegation battle thanks to great morale. The Lower Saxony came back in a wild exchange of blows against their direct competitor Arminia Bielefeld after an interim 0:3 and still played 3:3 (2:3). Braunschweig claims rank 15, while Bielefeld is still on the relegation place 16.
An unfortunate own goal by Eintracht keeper Jasmin Fejzic (6th), striker Bryan Lasme (11th) and Guilherme Ramos (21st) quickly put Arminia, who are just behind Braunschweig (22nd) on 21 points, in the lead. Immanuel Pherai (22nd/34th) and Joker Anthony Ujah (72nd) shot the hosts back into the game with their goals and saved another point.
The guests from Bielefeld started extremely powerful in front of 19,758 spectators, but the early lead was as lucky as it was strange. After a shot by Jomaine Consbruch, the ball hit Fejzic's heel and went into his own goal from there. The Bielefeld team didn't give up - and increased quickly. Again it was a long-range shot from Consbruch, which Fejzic unluckily let ricochet off in the middle. Lasme switched quickly and made it 2-0. Braunschweig didn't get into the game, Bielefeld was efficient: Ramos increased with a header, again on submission of the strong Consbruch.
In return, the hosts also appeared offensively. Only a few seconds later, Pherai shortened. Eintracht fought their way into the game, Pherai completed a dream combination again with a shot into the short corner to score the goal. In the second round, both teams were more stable, but Braunschweig pressed for the equalizer. Pherai's long-range shot went just wide (60'), while substitute Masaya Okugawa had a great chance at the other end, but was denied by Fejzic (67'). Then Ujah got too much space and scored a shot from the edge of the box to equalize.
Greuther Furth - Hannover 96 1: 1 (0: 0)
Hannover 96 is still waiting for the first sense of achievement of the year. When coach Stefan Leitl returned to his old place of work, the Lower Saxony team couldn't get past a 1-1 (0-0) draw at SpVgg Greuther Fürth. The cloverleaves missed the chance to catch up with Hannover in the table. Hendrik Weydandt (54th) gave the Hanoverians the lead, a short time later captain Branimir Hrgota equalized with a penalty kick (57th). In front of 10,845 spectators, both teams played with speed and drive towards the goal from the start, but the clear chances to score didn't materialize for a long time. For Fürth, Ragnar Ache in particular repeatedly caused unrest in front of Robert Zieler's goal.
Referee Florian Heft took center stage: After viewing the television images, Heft retracted a controversial penalty decision against Hannover because the contact with Ache was not sufficient. The equally controversial penalty after a foul on Hrgota, who converted himself, was not taken back by Heft even after a VAR check. Leitl (45) led Fürth into the Bundesliga two years ago, the two sides split after relegation last summer. 96 has been waiting for their first competitive win for almost four months, the club had finished fourth after a 2-0 win over Fortuna Düsseldorf on November 8, 2022. With two points in the calendar year, Hanover has lost touch with the promotion places.
Hansa Rostock - Karlsruher SC 0: 2 (0: 2)
Karlsruher SC continues to ride a wave of success. The Badeners celebrated an unchallenged 2-0 (2-0) victory at Hansa Rostock and climbed to a single-digit place in the table with the fourth three in a row. Marvin Wanitzek (16th, penalty kick) and U20 national player Paul Nebel (25th) shone as goalscorers. At the start of the second half of the season five weeks ago, coach Christian Eichner's team was only one point ahead of bottom-placed 1. FC Magdeburg. Hansa remains 14th in the table, but after their fifth defeat in the past six games, they are deep in the relegation battle. Above all, the attack is a big concern: Rostock has the weakest offensive in the league since the beginning of the year with just one goal.
After a weak initial phase, KSC managed the rather fortunate lead in front of 23,500 spectators in the Ostseestadion: Damian Roßbach had fallen unfavorably in a running duel with Mikkel Kaufmann and had brought the attacker to the ground in the sixteenth. Wanitzek then placed the penalty kick safely in Markus Kolke's goal. Barely ten minutes later, Roßbach was unlucky again: Hansa's clumsy attempt to free himself landed on the left at Nebel, whose imprecise shot rolled through the ex-Karlsruher's legs into the goal. As a result, Kogge keeper Kolke prevented further goals with strong saves (30', 42') and an offside position before the supposed 3-0 by Kaufmann (61').
