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KSC Karlsruhe Karlsruhe - KSV Kiel Holstein Kiel

M. Wanitzek
8'

BBBank Wildpark(24,409 Spectators)

Felix Prigan

Full-time: Karlsruhe 3-1 Kiel

After 90 minutes played, Karlsruhe secure the three points. In the first half, the hosts took an early lead through Wanitzek, but the remainder of the opening period lacked chances. The second half initially followed the same pattern, but Ben Farhat eventually gave his side extra breathing space. Later on, Wanitzek completed his brace before missing a penalty. While Kiel netted a consolation through Müller deep into stoppage time, it was too little, too late.

Full-time

90'

+ 6

A consolation

Shortly before the full-time whistle, Kiel manage to reduce the deficit! Kobald attempts to chest down a long ball from Harres to Bernat, but Kaprálik nips the ball away and rounds the keeper. He goes down in the process, but Müller is lurking to calmly slot into the bottom corner from close range.

90'

+ 6

Marcus Müller

GOAL!

3:1

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

84 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

7.68 m

90'

+ 3

Krumrey again

Next, Herold shoots with full power, but the Kiel keeper is once again in position to superbly parry the shot away for a corner, which comes to nothing.

90'

+ 2

Wanitzek again

The midfielder shoots from 12 yards out, but Krumrey denies him.

0:17

Wanitzek misses

The Karlsruhe captain misses the chance for a hat-trick! He aims for the top corner, but blasts the ball just over the crossbar. Fortunately for him, that miss is unlikely to affect the result.

90'

Penalty for Karlsruhe

Jakupovic arrives late against Wäschenbach and catches his opponent on the foot. Prigan immediately points to the spot and also shows a yellow card to the Kiel striker.

90'

Penalty missed!

Taker:

Marvin Wanitzek

90'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Marvin Wanitzek32.38km/h

Roko Šimić30.59km/h

Marco Komenda30.15km/h

89'

Yellow card

Aldin Jakupovic

Delight

The Karlsruhe celebrate in front of their fans.

87'

Double digits again

Wanitzek now moves to 10 for the season, meaning he has scored double digits for a fourth consecutive season - an outstanding record for a midfielder. That was his 63rd strike in Bundesliga 2, all scored for Karlsruhe. Only Emanuel Günther has found the back of the net more often for the club in the second tier (98 times).

86'

Goal attempts

5off target

5on target

11off target

3on target

Seals the deal!

The point surely belong to Karlsruhe now! Opitz bursts with pace into the box plays it across, where Schleusener is unmarked. His shot smashes against the crossbar, but the ball then falls perfectly to Wanitzek's feet, and the captain doesn't hesitate as he finds the bottom corner.

83'

Marvin Wanitzek

GOAL!

3:0

Goal probability

13 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

15.38 m

82'

No danger

Kaprálik gets a shot away from 25 yards out, but the low effort is too imprecise and lands straight into the arms of Bernat.

81'

Another substitution for Kiel

Niehoff comes on for Nekic. That's another attacking player replacing a defender as Rapp goes all out.

81'

Substitution

Niklas Niehoff

Ivan Nekic

78'

Nekic with the sliding tackle

The defensive player slides into Wanitzek in midfield, picking up the next yellow of the game.

78'

Harmless

Wanitzek delivers a high corner from the right, but the cross poses no danger whatsoever.

78'

Yellow card

Ivan Nekic

76'

Two subs for Karlsruhe

Ben Farhat and Burnić leave the pitch, with Opitz and Pinto Pedrosa joining the action.

76'

Substitution

Rafael Pinto Pedrosa

Dženis Burnić

76'

Substitution

Leon Opitz

Louey Ben Farhat

73'

Burnić receives a warning

The midfielder goes in too hard and also sees yellow.

The opener

Wanitzek's goal gave Karlsruhe the lead.

73'

Yellow card

Dženis Burnić

72'

Closing stages

There are still about 20 minutes to go in regular time. Currently, though, there's not much to suggest that the Storks can mount a comeback.

69'

Double substitution for the visitors

Kelati and Tolkin go off, with Müller and Jakupovic, two centre-forwards, coming on. Rapp is clearly looking for a way back into this one.

69'

Substitution

Aldin Jakupovic

John Tolkin

69'

Substitution

Marcus Müller

Andu Kelati

66'

Wäschenbach also booked

The substitute scythes down Tolkin with a reckless sliding tackle. He's lucky to escape with just a yellow.

66'

It's raining cards

Now Ben Farhat gets a yellow card for clearly checking Komenda.

66'

Yellow card

Meiko Wäschenbach

65'

Yellow card

Louey Ben Farhat

63'

Tolkin sees yellow

The Kiel man goes in too aggressively in the Karlsruhe half and stops a potential counter-attack. As a result, his name goes into the book.

63'

Yellow card

John Tolkin

62'

Strong Ben Farhat

That was Ben Farhat's second goal of the season - the first was Karlsruhe's maiden strike of 2025/26, on Matchday 1 against Preußen Münster. The 19-year-old is putting in a big performance today: after setting up the opener, he now has his own name on the scoresheet.

62'

Next Karlsruhe change

Šimić, who has also already been booked, makes way for Schleusener.

62'

Substitution

Fabian Schleusener

Roko Šimić

Karlsruhe extend their lead!

Out of nowhere, the hosts double their advantage! Ben Farhat chases down a long ball and stays strong against Zec. Both players go to ground, but the Karlsruhe man quickly gets back up, drives into the penalty area and then slots through the legs of Krumrey and into the corner.

61'

Louey Ben Farhat

GOAL!

2:0

Goal probability

43 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

5.73 m

60'

Another Kiel sub

Meffert makes way for Tohumcu.

60'

Substitution

Umut Tohumcu

Jonas Meffert

59'

Tough

Much like the first, the second half is a cagey affair. Both sides are battling, with few moments of quality so far.

54'

Another yellow

Šimić has his foot very high in a challenge with Komenda and catches the Kiel player in the face. That is a fair booking.

54'

Yellow card

Roko Šimić

53'

First substitution for Karlsruhe

Wäschenbach comes on for the already booked Kwon, which is also a like-for-like change.

53'

Substitution

Meiko Wäschenbach

Hyeokkyu Kwon

52'

Harres header

The striker meets a cross from the right under pressure at the far post, and therefore doesn't get enough power behind it. Bernat easily collects the ball.

49'

Wide

Kaprálik, who has just come onto the pitch, takes aim from outside the box. He tries to find the bottom corner, but his attempt ultimately flies well wide of the goal.

48'

High pressing

Kiel are pressing high up the pitch and putting Karlsruhe under pressure right from the off. It's having an effect, as the home side are giving the ball away very quickly.

46'

First substitution of the match

Kaprálik replaces Rosenboom, a like-for-like change for the visitors at the break.

46'

Up and running

The second half is underway.

Kick-off!

45'

+ 5

Substitution

Adrián Kaprálik

Lasse Rosenboom

Half-time: Karlsruhe 1-0 Kiel

After 45 minutes played, Karlsruhe lead. Overall, this has been a hard-fought match with little flow. The hosts took advantage of one of the very few chances in the eighth minute through Wanitzek - otherwise it's been a real war of attrition.

Half-time

0:29

Big call

Kelati was cautioned after being adjudged to have dived in the penalty area.

45'

+ 4

Yellow card

Andu Kelati

45'

+ 1

Four minutes of added time

Still time for another goal before the break.

45'

+ 1

Little flow to the game

The match has been regularly interrupted in recent minutes. This has not been a game for the purists so far, but Karlsruhe will not care much as they have the lead.

43'

Free-kick for Karlsruhe

Wanitzek takes the set-piece 30 yards from goal, but blasts the ball straight into the wall. Poor attempt!

40'

Another yellow

Zec takes down Ben Farhat from behind in midfield near the touchline, rightfully earning a yellow card.

40'

Yellow card

David Zec

39'

No ideas

Kiel are lacking creativity in the final third. Too often, their attacks are fizzling out before they really get going.

37'

Possession (%)

3268

33'

First booking of the match

Kwon lunges in midfield again, catching Kelati with a trip from behind. This time, he cannot escape punishment and is shown the yellow card by Prigan.

33'

Yellow card

Hyeokkyu Kwon

30'

Wanitzek with the chance

Ben Farhat cleverly lays it back to Wanitzek from the byline, and the latter gets a shot away. However, he doesn't connect cleanly with the ball, allowing Krumrey to comfortably gather the attempt.

30'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Marvin Wanitzek32.38km/h

Roko Šimić30.59km/h

Marco Komenda30.15km/h

0:27

No penalty for Kiel

The visitors think they have a chance to restore parity, but the initial spot-kick award is overturned.

25'

SituationPenalty

ReviewHandball?

DecisionNo penalty

24'

Šimić down on the ground

The Karlsruhe player collides with teammate Ben Farhat in midfield after a long ball from Bernat and briefly remains down on the ground. However, he is able to continue without requiring treatment.

23'

Feisty

Karlsruhe are tackling very aggressively. That's exactly what the fans want to see, as they show their appreciation for every successful challenge.

21'

It's raining set pieces

After a foul by Jung, Tolkin delivers another free-kick. This time, Kwon is there to head it clear and eliminate the danger.

19'

Another set-piece for Kiel

Tolkin delivers a ball from the right high into the box and finds Komenda making a run to the far post. The defender manages to get to the ball as he's falling, but can only poke it into the side netting.

Solid tackle

Kwon duels with Kelati.

16'

Kiel free-kick

Harres aims for goal from around 35 yards, but his shot fizzes wide of the post.

11'

Kiel looking for a response

The Storks are continuing to push forward as they search for an equaliser, but Karlsruhe are well organised at the back.

Wanitzek's ninth of the season

Wanitzek now has nine goals for the season - while arguably not at his best this term, he remains one of the most dangerous midfielders in the league.

GOOOOOAL!

Suddenly, Karlsruhe take the lead! Ben Farhat gets possession in midfield and then plays a wonderful through ball to the advancing Wanitzek. The midfielder subsequently breaks into the penalty area, where he keeps his composure in front of the onrushing Krumrey and buries into the bottom corner.

Marvin Wanitzek

GOAL!

1:0

Goal probability

19 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

14.57 m

Harres with a header

The striker rises highest to meet a corner and directs it towards the bottom corner. However, Bernat dives to prevent the ball from going in.

Kwon intervenes

The Karlsruhe player makes a sliding tackle against Kelati near the touchline in the opposition half and completely takes him out. Prigan only give him a warning this time and refrains from issuing a very early yellow card.

Kiel in possession

The visitors have had plenty of the ball early on, but not much is happening going forward yet.

Difficult conditions

The pitch is very slippery and soggy, and there is also continuous rain. This doesn't make the task any easier for both clubs today.

Underway

Referee Prigan blows the whistle to start the match. The visitors kick us off and are in red, with the Badeners all in blue.

Kick-off!

The teams are coming out

The teams are entering the pitch, meaning we'll be underway shortly.

Kiel team news

Head coach Marcel Rapp makes two changes to his starting XI following the 2-1 defeat to Schalke. Komenda and Davidsen start in place of Ivezić and Kaprálik (both on the bench).

Karlsruhe team news

Head coach Christian Eichner makes five changes to his starting XI following the 5-1 humbling at the hands of Nuremberg. Ambrosius, Kobald, Kwon, Šimić and Ben Farhat start in place of Scholl, Pinto Pedrosa, Wäschenbach, Fukuda and Schleusener (all on the bench).

Starting line-up: Holstein Kiel

Starting line-up: Karlsruher SC

Hans Christian Bernat

Christian Eichner on facing Kiel

"This will be a very, very important match for both teams. I'm fully focused and looking forward to it. I'd rather not be in this position results-wise, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Marcel Rapp on facing Karlsruhe

"I see the team as being disappointed with the results and doing everything to turn things around. There's a good atmosphere among the squad and the focus is fully on Saturday."

Bad omen?

Christian Eichner has been Karlsruhe head coach for six years. He took over the job after his predecessor Alois Schwartz departed following a 2-0 home defeat against Kiel.

Familiar face

Kiel coach Marcel Rapp came through the system at Karlsruhe, making his Bundesliga 2 debut for the club under Joachim Löw in December 1999. Eight of his nine second-tier appearances were for KSC.

Strong record

Kiel have won their last five matches against Karlsruhe, also keeping clean sheets in the last three.

2:14

Watch: Nuremberg 5-1 Karlsruhe - highlights

Karlsruhe's chastening loss at Nuremberg last weekend was their fourth game in a row without victory.

2:14

Watch: Kiel 1-2 Schalke - highlights

Kiel suffered a fourth successive defeat in all competitions as they were edged out by Schalke on Matchday 22.

2:13

Watch: Kiel 3-0 Karlsruhe - previous meeting

In this season's reverse fixture, Kiel could even afford to miss a penalty - Jonas Therkelsen was denied by Hans Christian Bernat - as they prevailed 3-0.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 23 fixture between Karlsruhe and Holstein Kiel.