Bundesliga 2, Matchday 21: Schalke's winless run extended by lowly Dynamo Dresden as Darmstadt go top
Bundesliga 2 leaders Schalke were unable to snap a four-game winless run as they were held by relegation-threatened Dynamo Dresden. Elsewhere on Matchday 21, Darmstadt thrashed promotion rivals Kaiserslautern to leapfrog the Royal Blues and go top of the table, while Arminia Bielefeld secured a vital win in their relegation battle.
Darmstadt 4-0 KaiserslauternGoals: 1-0 Hornby 5’, 2-0 Lakenmacher 29’, 3-0 Klefisch 45’, 4-0 Marseiler 90’+2
Darmstadt thrashed Kaiserslautern in a statement victory to move to the top of the table and above Schalke. Fraser Hornby opened the scoring from the spot after just five minutes, and the hosts didn’t look back. Fynn-Luca Lakenmacher ended his goal drought after 29 minutes before Kai Klefisch added a third just before the break. Luca Marseiler then completed the rout just before full-time as Darmstadt made it 11 games unbeaten.
Schalke 2-2 Dynamo Dresden
Goals: 1-0 Džeko 52‘, 2-0 Džeko 70‘, 2-1 Kuruçay 78‘ (o.g.), 2-2 Keller 87‘
Schalke extended their winless run in Bundesliga 2 to five consecutive games with a draw at home to Dresden. After a first half of very few chances, a second-half Edin Džeko brace put Schalke in the driving seat. However, an unfortunate own-goal from Hasan Kuruçay opened the door for a Dynamo comeback, which was completed when Thomas Keller capitalised on a mistake from Loris Karius to head home from a corner. Another draw saw Schalke’s lead at the top reduced to just one point, before Darmstadt overtook them on Saturday night.
Arminia Bielefeld 3-2 Eintracht BraunschweigGoals: 1-0 Uldrikis 1’, 1-1 Sané 8’, 1-2 Frenkert 23’, 2-2 Wörl 31’, 3-2 Uldrikis 54’
Bielefeld picked up their first win since November, bringing an end to Braunschweig's impressive run of one defeat in eight. Roberts Uldrikis opened his account for the season inside the first minute but Bielefeld’s joy was short lived when Sidi Sané and Lukas Frenkert responded to put the visitors in front. Marius Wörl then equalised with a superb strike of his own as both teams went into the break level. The second period was just as frantic as the first with chances at both ends, but Uldrikis’ second of the afternoon proved pivotal as Bielefeld’s positive goal difference lifted them above Braunschweig.
Karlsruhe 1-1 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Goals: 1-0 Itten 41’, 1-1 Burnić 54’
Karlsruhe and Düsseldorf shared the points in a close encounter at the Wildparkstadion. After a slow start, Cedric Itten handed Fortuna the lead, which was later cancelled out by a fine Dženis Burnić strike in the second period. The result means Karlsruhe stay in ninth place, while Fortuna are still looking over their shoulder in 13th, just three points above the drop zone.
Hannover 3-1 Holstein Kiel
Goals: 1-0 Källman 5’, 2-0 Aséko 21’, 2-1 Harres 68’, 3-1 Thórdarson 78’
Hannover recorded their second win on the bounce thanks to goals from Benjamin Källman, Noel Aseko Nkili and Stefán Teitur Thórdarson. The promotion chasers were 2-0 up inside 21 minutes, dominating the early moments of the game with aggressive pressing. Kiel got one back in the second half through Phil Harres, but Thórdarson put the game to bed with 12 minutes to go for the hosts. The win moves Hannover up to fifth in the Bundesliga 2 table and closes the gap to leaders Darmstadt to just three points.
Elversberg 0-3 Hertha Berlin
Goals: 0-1 Klemens 42’, 0-2 Schuler 58’, 0-3 Leistner 78’
Elversberg suffered their first home defeat of the season and fell out of the top three as Hertha hit three goals at the URSAPHARM-Arena. The hosts were much the better side in the first half but failed to make the most of it as Pascal Klemens headed in for the Berliners shortly before the break. Luca Schuler and Toni Leistner then made sure of the result in the second period as the Old Lady ended a run of five straight draws and six-game winless streak.
Paderborn 2-1 Nuremberg
Goals: 1-0 Klaas 26’ (pen), 2-0 Curda 29’ (assist: Castañeda), 2-1 Lochoshvili 75’ (assist: Yılmaz)Sent off: Lubach 51’
Paderborn survived a late scare to secure a crucial home win thanks to goals from Sebastian Klaas and Laurin Curda. After Rafael Lubach picked up a red card for Nuremberg in the 51st minute, the hosts looked well on course to wrap up all three points, but Luka Lochoshvili brought the visitors back into the match from out of nowhere. Despite big chances for Nuremberg to equalise in the final minutes, Paderborn managed to see out their lead until the final whistle. The win lifts Ralf Kettemann's side up to third in the Bundesliga 2 table, two points off leaders Darmstadt.
Greuther Fürth 4-5 Magdeburg
Goals: 1-0 Bjarnason 8’, 1-1 Münz 13’ (og), 1-2 Żukowski 15’, 1-3 Ghrieb 23’, 1-4 Żukowski 29’, 1-5 Żukowski 33’, 2-5 Arifi 43’, 3-5 Elvedi 45’+5, 4-5 Ltaief 47’
Magdeburg ended a run of two straight defeats as they came from behind to win an enthralling encounter at Greuther Fürth. The hosts took the lead early on through Brynjar Ingi Bjarnason, but Reno Münz turned Rayan Ghrieb’s cross into his own net shortly after. The away side then scored four times in 18 minutes, with Mateusz Zukowski netting a hat-trick to seemingly secure the points for Magdeburg. However, late first-half goals from Doni Arifi and Jan Elvedi gave Fürth renewed hope, and Sayfallah Ltaief scored on his debut just after the break to reduce the deficit to one. Ultimately, though, the Clover Leaves were unable to equalise, and stay bottom as a result.
Preußen Münster 1-1 Bochum
Goals: 1-0 Rondić 35’, 1-1 Miyoshi 58’
Preußen Münster remain in real relegation danger after letting slip a 1-0 lead at home to Bochum. Imad Rondić broke the deadlock in the first half, but the visitors hit back after the break through Koji Miyoshi, who had already missed two very presentable chances. From there, it was thanks to goalkeeper Johannes Schenk that Preußen managed to take something from the game. However, they could find themselves back in the bottom three if results go against them this weekend. For their part, Uwe Rösler's mid-table Bochum are now unbeaten in their last eight.
Watch: The top 5 goals from Matchday 21
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