Second-division club Fortuna Düsseldorf has sent an impressive signal of life in their battle to avoid relegation.
On Friday evening, coach Alexander Ende’s team defeated Dynamo Dresden 3-1 (2-0). This victory, their first after a string of five consecutive defeats, temporarily moved the Rhine-based club out of the relegation spots.
Cedric Itten (11th minute), Emmanuel Iyoha (17th minute), and Luca Raimund (58th minute) secured Fortuna’s first success under new coach Ende, who had lost his debut last Saturday against 1. FC Magdeburg with a 0-2 scoreline. Jakob Lemmer (90th minute) scored for Dynamo. With three matchdays remaining, Düsseldorf has 34 points, but the bottom of the table remains tight.
In the Merkur Arena, an ingenious play by Fortuna goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier led to the early lead. Following a precise long kick from the goalkeeper, Itten broke free and chipped the ball into the net. Dresden, however, remained dangerous afterwards, with Jason Ceka (16th minute) missing an opportunity to equalize. A minute later, a Düsseldorf corner found Iyoha, whose deflected shot rolled into the net.
Victory Against Dresden: Düsseldorf Sends a Signal of Life
Despite the deficit, the visitors pressed and missed several chances to pull one back. Kastenmeier saved a shot from Dresden’s Robert Wagner (34th minute). However, as Kastenmeier went after the ball, Ceka got there first. Elias Egouli cleared the danger on the line from Ceka’s cross into an open goal. Before halftime, Kastenmeier repeated his clever long pass to Itten (41st minute) from the build-up to the first goal, but this time the striker was denied by Dresden’s keeper Tim Schreiber.
After the break, Dresden came out aggressively. Kastenmeier made a strong save against Ben Bobzien (47th minute). The decisive third goal came from Raimund after smart build-up play by Itten. Later, Schreiber saved Dresden from further damage with a save against an Itten header (68th minute). Dynamo pushed in the final phase, but Lemmer’s goal ultimately came too late.
Away Win: Braunschweig Gains Breathing Room
Eintracht Braunschweig, on the other hand, has gained ground in the tight relegation race and secured vital points. The Lower Saxony team won 2-0 (1-0) at 1. FC Kaiserslautern thanks to a top fighting performance, temporarily moving out of the relegation playoff spot.
Numerous competitors at the bottom of the table can respond in the coming days, but after four games without a win, the Lower Saxony team has finally gained some breathing room. Faride Alidou (14th minute) and Erencan Yardimci (72nd minute) scored the goals in an evenly contested match, bringing Eintracht’s points tally to 34. FCK, whose fans reacted furiously to the defeat, remains stuck in mid-table.
Forward Alidou benefited from a mistake by Kaiserslautern’s young goalkeeper Enis Kamga (18th minute) for his early goal. The reserve goalkeeper spilled a shot from Lino Tempelmann into Alidou’s path. FCK subsequently lacked attacking penetration, and their few good chances went unutilized.