Bundesliga 2, Matchday 28: Edin Džeko-less Schalke stay top as Paderborn push into second
Schalke took a narrow win against Karlsruhe to stay at the summit while Paderborn rose to the second automatic promotion spot with a victory in Fürth...
Matchday 28 results
Schalke 1-0 Karlsruhe
Goals: 1-0 Karaman 72'
Schalke retained top spot in the Bundesliga 2 table after a narrow home win against Karlsruhe. In the absence of star forward Edin Džeko, captain Kenan Karaman was once again the talisman, handing Miron Muslić’s side a valuable lead in the 72nd minute. Worryingly for the Schalke boss, Karaman limped off the pitch moments later with what appeared to be a knee injury. Nevertheless, the result means Schalke stay on course for promotion with just six games remaining.
Greuther Fürth 0-2 Paderborn
Goals: 0-1 Marino 51', 0-2 Bilbija 86'
Paderborn moved into second with their clinical finishing seeing them decide a close encounter in Fürth. Stefano Marino gave the visitors the lead early in the second half on a quick attack before Filip Bilbija's fine finish sealed the win that would have sent them top, had Schalke not landed their late winner.
Hannover 1-1 Elversberg
Goals: 1-0 Rohr (o.g.) 20' 1-1 Petkov (pen.) 56'
Elversberg dropped down to third with the draw but were somewhat fortunate to claim a point in Hannover, with goalkeeper Nicolas Kristof pulling off some crucial saves after a Maximilian Rohr own goal had given Hannover the lead, while a long throw upfield from Kristof led to the penalty that Lukas Petkov converted to level.
Magdeburg 4-1 BochumGoals: 1-0 Musonda 9’, 2-0 Atik 44’, 2-1 Hofmann 56’, 3-1 Zukowski 71’, 4-1 Zukowski 73’
Magdeburg boosted their hopes of staying in Bundesliga 2 with an impressive home win against Bochum. The hosts dominated the first period and raced into an early lead after seven minutes when Lubambo Musonda headed home. Bariş Atik doubled their advantage just before the break, and despite a second-half rally from Bochum’s Philipp Hofmann, it was Magdeburg who closed out the win late on thanks to a Mateusz Żukowski brace. It’s the side’s second win on the spin and their first at home since February.
Kaiserslautern 3-0 DüsseldorfGoals: 1-0 Rasumussen 62', 2-0 Şahin 76', 3-0 Hanslik 90'+6
Kaiserslautern made it back to back 3-0 wins at home after a comfortable victory against Fortuna Dusseldorf. A red card for Fortuna defender Sima Suso gave the match a dramatic twist, with Lautern's chances only increasing in volume but the visitors managing to hold on and almost managing to score directly from a corner through Florent Musilja. The home side kept knocking on the door, though, and were rewarded for their patience with second-half goals from Jacob Rasmussen and Semih Şahin, who assisted a late Daniel Hanslik effort.
Arminia Bielefeld 2-1 Darmstadt Goals: 0-1 Maglica 6’, 1-1 Telalović 47’, 2-1 Rochelt 81’
Arminia Bielefeld boosted their survival hopes with a comeback win over promotion-chasing Darmstadt. Matej Maglica gave the Lilies the lead after just six minutes, but Semir Telalović grabbed a deserved equaliser just two minutes after the break - his first goal for the club. Bielefeld maintained their momentum and eventually sealed the win through Jannik Rochelt, whose late goal lifts Arminia two points clear of the bottom three with six rounds of fixtures remaining.
Dynamo Dresden 0-1 Hertha Berlin
Goals: 0-1 Winkler 80’
Red card: Brekalo 66’
Missed pen: Vermeij 77'
Dynamo Dresden are outside the relegation zone on goal difference after losing at home to 10-man Hertha Berlin. Both sides missed big chances, before a Josip Brekalo red card swung the momentum in Dresden’s favour. Paul Seguin then conceded a penalty for handball, but Tjark Ernst saved Vincent Vermeij's spot-kick. Dynamo were punished almost immediately as Marten Winkler headed in via deflection to send Hertha home with maximum points.
Braunschweig 1-1 Nuremberg
Goals: 1-0 Nzingoula 17’, 1-1 Mijatović 61'
Braunschweig and Nuremberg shared the points at Eintracht-Stadion after goals each side of the break. After a quiet first 30 minutes, Nuremberg opened the scoring via Rabby Nzingoula’s composed finish. However, Braunschweig responded well in the second period, grabbing an equaliser through Jovan Mijatović on the hour mark. Both sides had big chances to win the match, with Florian Flick coming closest for the hosts after striking the post late on.
Holstein Kiel 0-0 Preußen Münster
Both sides claimed a useful point for their survival hopes and were well worth the share of the spoils, with Kiel dominating the play but struggling to breach the defence of the visitors, who had some dangerous moments in attack.
Watch: The top 5 goals on Matchday 28
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