Bundesliga 2, Matchday 7: Darmstadt stay top, Elversberg, Schalke and Hannover give chase
Hannover are back in the hunt after Bundesliga 2 leaders Darmstadt and promotion rivals Elversberg and Schalke also won...
Matchday 7 results
Hannover 3-1 Arminia Bielefeld
Goals: 0-1 Felix 35', 1-1 Charkroun 53', 2-1 Matsuda, 55', 3-1 Tomiak 90+3'
Hannover ended Matchday 7 level on points with the top two after a quick-fire comeback against newly promoted Arminia Bielefeld. The hosts went into the break 1-0 down through Joel Felix and Boris Tomiak having missed a penalty, but turned the game round in the space of two second-half minutes thanks to goals from Husseyn Chakroun and Hayate Matsuda. Tomiak added the gloss from the spot as the Reds snapped a run of two games without a win.
Darmstadt 2-0 Dynamo Dresden
Goals: 1-0 Lidberg 38', 2-0 Hornby 49'
Darmstadt cemented top spot with a clinical attacking performance against a Dynamo Dresden side who had started brightly. Isac Lidberg struck clinically shortly before the break with his seventh goal of the season, and Fraser Hornby added his first goal of the campaign within minutes of the restart. The double blow proved to be too much for Dresden to recover from as the hosts recorded a third straight win.
Schalke 1-0 Greuther Fürth
Goal: 1-0 Porath 77'
Schalke had to remain patient against a resolute Greuther Fürth to claim their fifth win of the season, despite dominating from the outset. The hosts had fired 20 shots by the time Pelle Boevink was finally beaten in goal as Finn Porath smashed his first strike for Schalke since joining from Holstein Kiel in the summer in acrobatic fashion. The result lifted the Royal Blues to fourth and within a point of the top three.
Elversberg 1-0 Holstein Kiel
Goals: 1-0 Stange (pen.) 90'+5
Otto Stange's injury-time penalty gave second-placed Elversberg the points in an entertaining game against Holstein Kiel. The 18-year-old took responsibility and slammed home with determination from the spot to keep the home side - now unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions - level on points with Darmstadt at the top of the Bundesliga 2 standings.
Paderborn 2-0 Kaiserslautern
Goals: 1-0 Bilbija (50’), 2-0 Curda (53’)
Red card: Gyamfi (45’+3)
Paderborn remain within two points of the top threee after seeing off 10-man Kaiserslautern. There were chances at both ends throughout the first half, but the key moment came in added time when Maxwell Gyamfi was sent off following VAR review. Filip Bilbija missed the subsequent penalty, but made up for it early in the second period to finally put the hosts ahead. Laurin Curda added a second in a devastating three-minute spell that put the game beyond the Red Devils, who saw their run of three wins ended and Paderborn – themselves now on a run of three straight wins and four clean sheets in a row – leapfrog them in the standings.
Bochum 0-1 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Goals: 1-0 Oberdorf 4'
Tim Oberdorf's early goal secured the points for Fortuna Düsseldorf against Bochum, who remain winless since Matchday 1. Although the visitors had a good chance to double their lead soon afterwards, it was all Bochum from that point with some 26 efforts on goal coming to no avail for the division's second-bottom club.
Karlsruhe 1-0 Magdeburg
Goals: 1-0 Kobald 84'
Magdeburg remain bottom of the table after a narrow loss at Karlsruhe. After a dominant first half showing by the visitors, Baris Atik spurned a golden opportunity to put Magdeburg in front right before the break. The direction of traffic continued largely the same after the restart, but it was the hosts who were left celebrating when Christoph Kobald rose highest to head home a late winner and break Magdeburg hearts.
Nuremberg 0-3 Hertha Berlin
Goals: 0-1 Winkler 2', 0-2 Cuisance 42', 0-3 Kownacki 85'
Hertha Berlin recorded back-to-back 3-0 wins on the road after a convincing victory over Nuremberg at the Max-Morlock Stadion. Marten Winkler's early effort set the tone for a solid showing from the Berliners, who went 2-0 up before the break through Michaël Cuisance. Whilst Miroslav Klose's team created several chances of their own, unlike the visitors, they had left their shooting boots at home. Dawid Kownacki struck late on to seal the capital club's second win of the campaign.
Preußen Münster 3-1 Eintracht Braunschweig
Goals: 1-0 Vilhelmsson 23‘, 2-0 Amenyido 48‘, 3-0 Batista Meier 59‘, 3-1 Yardımcı 69‘
Preußen Münster climbed into mid-table with a comfortable win over Eintracht Braunschweig. Oscar Vilhelmsson broke the deadlock in the first half, before Etienne Amenyido and Oliver Batista Meier put daylight between the two sides with under an hour on the clock. Erencan Yardımcı scored a late consolation as Braunschweig - now winless in five - slipped to a third straight defeat.
Watch: The best goals from Matchday 7
Click here for the latest Bundesliga 2 standings!
Related news
Promotion-chasing trio at home on Sunday
Leaders Schalke face Miroslav Klose's Nuremberg in one of three Sunday fixtures involving the pre-Matchday 16 top three...
Matchday 15 highlights
Schalke consolidated top spot on Friday, ahead of Elversberg climbing above Paderborn in their promotion six-pointer.
DFB Cup quarter-final draw
Bayern face RB Leipzig in the last eight, while Bayer Leverkusen host St. Pauli.