Bundesliga 2, Matchday 2 highlights: Schalke off the mark with Kaiserslautern win as Hamburg are held
There was late drama, comebacks and goals aplenty Matchday 2 of the new Bundesliga 2 season, with Schalke recording their first win and Hamburg succumbing to a late, late equaliser.
Schalke 3-0 Kaiserslautern
Goals: 1-0 Terodde (13'), 2-0 Karaman (70'), 3-0 Lasme (90'+2)
After losing a barnstorming season-opener 5-3 against Hamburg last week, Schalke got their bid for promotion up and running with a comfortable 3-0 victory at home to Kaiserslautern. The visitors enjoyed the better start and looked like scoring first until Bundesliga 2 record scorer Simon Terodde put the Royal Blues ahead with a close-range header from Thomas Ouwejan's cross. Any hopes the Red Devils had of making a comeback were dealt a blow shortly before half-time when goalkeeper Andreas Luthe was sent off for a professional foul. The visitors were reduced to nine men in the second half when defender Boris Tomiak received a second yellow card, and Schalke did not need long to capitalise, Kenan Karaman tapping into an empty net to seal the points. Bryan Lasme added a third in stoppage time to complete the scoring.
Kalrsruhe 2-2 Hamburg
Goals: 1-0 Schleusener 14', 1-1 Benes 61', 1-2 Glatzel 65', 2-2 Zivzivadze 90'+5
HSV are unlikely to forget the name Budu Zivzivadze in a hurry. The Georgian midfielder latched onto to local favourite Lars Stindl's pass in the dying seconds of injury time to rescue a point for Christian Eichner's side when all looked lost. HSV appeared on course for a second-successive win after a sweetly-struck Laszlo Benes free kick and Robert Glatzel's diverted finish had left Fabian Schleusener's opener for Karlsruhe looking meaningless. That was until Zivzivadze's calmest of finishes deep inside second-half stoppage time.
Hertha Berlin 0-1 Wehen Wiesbaden
Goals: 0-1 Günther (90'+2)
Promoted side Wiesbaden remain unbeaten in the new campaign after snatching a late win away to Hertha Berlin. The hosts were the dominant side initially, but struggled to convert their superiority into clear-cut chances in the final third. It was a similar story in the second half, with the Old Lady in charge of proceedings but lacking the necessary incision to inflict any damage on their visitors. They were ruthlessly punished in stoppage when Lasse Günther bundled the ball in from a corner to give Wiesbaden their first win of the season, leaving Hertha nursing a second defeat from as many games.
Magdeburg 2-1 Eintracht Braunschweig
Goals: 1-0 Schuler 22', 2-0 Conde 32', 2-1 Ujah 90'
Magdeburg enjoyed a first win of the season following on from an opening-day draw away to Wehen Wiesbaden last weekend. Baris Atik turned proivder twice in a game in which the hosts emerged with a deserved three points. The 28-year-old first fed Luca Schuler with a pass which the forward finished for 1-0. Just ten minutes after the opener and the hosts doubled their lead with Atik playing Amara Conde clean through on goal. Conde's subsequent nutmegged finish through Ron-Thorben Hoffmann left the visitors up against it. Anthony Ujah's late consolation couldn't prevent Braunschweig from suffering their second loss of the campaign.
Nuremberg 2-2 Hannover
Goals: 0-1 Teuchert (pen.) 8', 0-2 Teuchert (pen.) 23', 1-2 Uzun 66', 2-2 Uzun (pen.) 90'
Both of these teams were left looking for a first win of the campaign after an entertaining, penalty-filled draw at the Max-Morlock-Stadion. Johannes Geis fouled Nicolo Tresoldi to provide the game's first spot-kick, which Cedric Teuchert finished calmly. When James Lawrence then onstructed Teuchert inside the area, the 26-year-old had the chance to double his team's lead, which he duly took. Der Club made a string of changes at the break and one of them, Felix Lohkemper, provided Can Yilmaz Uzun with the pass for the youngster's first goal at senior level. He would have his second from the spot with a late penalty that rescued Nuremberg a point.
Paderborn 1-1 Osnabrück
Goals: 1-0 Heuer (56'), 1-1 Kleinhansl (80')
Having conceded a late goal to lose against Karlsruhe last week, it was Osnabrück’s turn to find the net in the closing stages on Matchday 2 to secure a draw in Paderborn. The hosts were far better from the off and took a deserved lead early in the second half when Jannis Heuer finished from Max Kruse’s pass. Paderborn eased off after that, however, content to protect their lead – and they were eventually made to pay when Florian Kleinhansl scored with an eye-catching first-time strike following a corner.
St. Pauli 0-0 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Two of Bundesliga 2's biggest clubs cancelled each other out on Saturday to remain unbeaten in 2023/24 so far. It was lively from the outset – there were 23 shots by the time the final whistle blew – with both goalkeepers needing to be alert to prevent their sides going behind. The match continued in the same vein after the interval, and although Fortuna tried to push for a winner in the closing stages after Pauli defender Karol Mets was sent off for a second bookable offence, it ultimately ended goalless.
Holstein Kiel 2-1 Greuther Fürth
Goals: 0-1 Hrgota (63'), 1-1 Sterner (68'), 2-1 Machino (71')
Holstein Kiel enjoyed a second consecutive win of the new campaign after a quickfire double helped them come from behind to beat Fürth. Branimir Hrgota had put the Clover Leaves ahead with his third goal of the season from a full 40 yards out following a mistake by Thomas Dähne, but the goalkeeper's blushes were soon spared when teammates Jonas Sterner and Shuto Machino hit the target in quick succession to take the hosts joint top of the standings on six points.
Elversberg 1-2 Hansa Rostock
Goals: 1-0 Sickinger (55'), 1-1 Perea (90'+10), 1-2 Perea (90'+13)
Hansa Rostock made it two wins out of two this season thanks to some stoppage-time drama in which new signing Juan Jose Perea hit a brace to help his side come from behind and seal the points. The first half was an evenly balanced affair in which goalmouth chances were few and far between, but Elversberg broke the deadlock early in the second period when Carlo Sickinger prodded in from close range. They looked to be on course for victory, especially when they were awarded a penalty as the 90-minute mark approached, only for Annik Rochelt to miss. They were made to pay dearly for that when Perea struck twice in added time to turn the game on its head and gave Rostock all three points.
