Strong second-half showing: Magdeburg turned the game around after the break to claim a vital three points.
Strong second-half showing: Magdeburg turned the game around after the break to claim a vital three points. - © IMAGO/Sebastian Bach
Strong second-half showing: Magdeburg turned the game around after the break to claim a vital three points. - © IMAGO/Sebastian Bach
2. Bundesliga

Bundesliga 2, Matchday 18 highlights: Magdeburg triumph against 10-man Elversberg, Hamburg edge Cologne

xwhatsappmailcopy-link

Magdeburg boosted their promotion hopes after a comeback victory in Elversberg on Sunday, after Hamburg did their own hopes of going up no harm at will with a narrow win over Cologne.

Advertisement

Hamburg 1-0 Cologne 
Goal: 1-0 Königsdörffer 78'

Hamburg went top of the league standings overnight with a narrow win over promotion-chasing rivals Cologne. The table-topping clash proved to be keenly contested, but few chances came until Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer missed a late penalty before tidying in on the rebound for a crucial lead. Eric Martel was denied by the woodwork in the final minutes with a thumping volley as Hamburg held on for the big three points to take them ahead of the visitors on goal difference.

Elversberg 2-5 Magdeburg
Goals: 1-0 Schnellbacher 3’, 2-0 Petkov 36’, 2-1 Kaars 46’, 2-2 Kaars 70’, 2-3 Amaechi 77’, 2-4 El Hankouri 82’ (pen.), 2-5 Kaars 90’+1
Red card: Schmahl 44’

A thrilling match in the Saarland on Sunday afternoon! Elversberg took a two-goal lead in the first half, with keeper Nicolas Kristof frustrating the visitors with a string of good saves. However, the game turned in the 44th minute when last man Frederik Schmahl was sent off for a foul. Magdeburg launched their comeback immediately after the break, piling on the pressure and scoring a total of five goals, three of which came from Martijn Kaars. The victory puts them second, level on points with league leaders Hamburg and Cologne.

Nuremberg 2-1 Karlsruhe                                                                                                               
Goals: 1-0
Tzimas 36', 1-1 Schleusener 40', 2-1 Florian Flick 90+1'

The visitors missed their chance to jump to the top of the table, paying the price for a lacklustre performance against a Nuremberg side who have now won two on the bounce. The hosts started as they meant to go on, with plenty of possession in the opposition half. Their attacking efforts were eventually rewarded when Stefanos Tzimas opened the scoring toward the end of the half, only to be pegged back level by Fabian Schleusener with his side's first shot of the game shortly before half-time. Nuremberg regained their rhythm in the second-half and again had to wait before finding that elusive winning goal; Florian Flick was the man to rescue the three points, smashing home a brilliant first-time effort from outside the area to win it late on.

Fortuna Düsseldorf 2-2 Darmstadt
Goals: 1-0
Van Brederode (41'), 2-0 Haag (61'), 2-1 Corredor (pen. 69'), 2-2 Corredor (72')

Fortuna's hopes of closing the gap at the top suffered a setback after they were pegged back to a draw by Darmstadt, despite taking a 2-0 lead. Myron van Brederode broke the deadlock just before half-time following some neat interplay on the edge of the box, and it was his cross from the left that was flicked on for Giovanni Haag to lash in on the volley just after the hour-mark. However, Darmstadt had the final say when Killian Corredor scored twice in quick succession to rescue a point for the visitors. 

Kaiserslautern 2-1 Ulm
Goals: 0-1 Strompf 4’, 1-1 Ritter 23’, 2-1 Kaloc 37’

Kaiserslautern overcame the early Ulm dominance to win their first league fixture of 2025. Following Philipp Strompf's fourth-minute opener, the Red Devils recovered to score a pair of beautiful goals and turn the scoreline around. Marlon Ritter finished off a great counter to equalise, then Filip Kaloc scored a ferocious volley to give the hosts the lead. Markus Anfang's side saw out the victory in a quieter second half to temporarily climb to third!

Paderborn 1-2 Hertha Berlin
Goals: 0-1 Scherhant 16’, 0-2 Cuisance 69’ (pen.), 1-2 Michel 90’+4

The capital city side got off to a winning start in 2025 with an efficient victory in Paderborn. Derry Scherhant opened the scoring with a wonderful curling effort, and the Hertha Berlin defence stood strong amidst the constant Paderborn pressure, who were extremely wasteful in front of goal. Michaël Cuisance added a second from the spot after the break, and Sven Michel was only able to get one back in stoppage time, as they lost ground on those teams above them in the table.

Preußen Münster 2-1 Greuther Fürth
Goals: 1-0 Mees 10’, 1-1 Gießelmann 28’, 2-1 Mees 90‘
Red Card: Asta 32’

Preußen Münster secured a dramatic late 2-1 victory over Greuther Fürth in their Bundesliga 2 clash at the Preußenstadion. Johannes Mees opened the scoring for Münster in the 10th minute, but Fürth equalized shortly after through Niko Gießelmann in the 28th. Not long after, Simon Asta was dismissed for a second yellow card, leaving the visitors with only ten men for the entirety of the second half. They defended well for much of the game, but at the end of the second half, Münster found the winner through another Mees header, moving them closer to safety in the league standings after what was an important relegation clash.

Regensburg 0-1 Hannover
Goals: 0-1
Ngankam (35') 

Hannover enjoyed a winning start under new coach André Breitenreiter, inflicting a 13th defeat of the season on bottom club Regensburg. The visitors dominated possession from the first whistle but struggled to make an impact in the final third against a home side determined to keep things tight at the back. Their superiority was rewarded in the 35th minute, however, when a free-kick was flicked on to Jessic Ngankam to score what was ultimately the only goal of the game. 

Eintracht Braunschweig 0-0 Schalke
Red card:
Nikolaou 67’

Braunschweig battled hard to win their first point after five consecutive defeats. Despite the home side going down to ten following Jannis Nikolaou's red card, Schalke were unable to make use of the man advantage, rarely creating genuine chances across the entire 90 minutes. The goalless draw brings Braunschweig level on points with 16th-placed Ulm (albeit an inferior goal difference), whilst Schalke remain in 13th.

Watch: The top 5 goals on Matchday 18!

Click here for the latest Bundesliga 2 standings!