Drmic brace helps Nürnberg to first win of the season
Nuremberg - A brace by Josip Drmic as well as goals from Timothy Chandler and Daniel Ginczek helped 1. FC Nürnberg to their first win of the season against 1899 Hoffenheim.
Drmic at the double
Hoping to bounce back from their Matchday 17 defeat at cellar-dwellers Eintracht Braunschweig, Hoffenheim were keen to set the tone in the early stages, dominating possession and carving out several half-chances. Fabian Johnson came close to handing 1899 the lead when the left-back swerved the ball just wide from the edge of the box, only minutes before Chandler did better at the other end of the pitch, leaving Keon Casteels no chance with a deflected effort from distance.
Boosted by their 1-0 lead, Nürnberg now made it abundantly clear they were there to register their first win of the campaign. Drmic looked particularly keen to add to his goal tally, as the Swiss forward helped der Club double their lead after 40 minutes, benefitting from an error in the Hoffenheim defence to poke home from close range.
The hosts maintained their pressure after the restart, which soon resulted in a third goal when Ginczek had only Casteels to beat from Mike Frantz's skilful through-ball. The home side kept up the pressure as the game progressed, and their dominance took a further toll 20 minutes from time, Drmic controlling a pin-point cross from Hiroshi Kiyotake with his chest before volleying the ball into the back of net for his eighth goal of the season to all but seal a deserved three points for Nürnberg.
