2. Bundesliga: Fortuna’s impressive second-half fight back stuns Paderborn

Goals from Shinta Appelkamp and Cedric Itten turned the game on its head after the break, handing Fortuna three huge points in their battle for survival as a packed Merkur Spiel-Arena erupted in celebration.

In front of a sold-out crowd - thanks to Fortuna’s impressive free-ticket initiative - the hosts endured a forgettable first half and fell behind after just two minutes. Raphael Obermair’s corner drifted over everyone to the back post, where the unmarked Kennedy Okpala was left with a simple tap-in to score his first goal for Paderborn and make it 1-0.

Fortuna’s best opportunity of the opening period came just before the break. Following a Florent Muslija corner, the ball pinballed around the penalty area, seemingly begging for a red shirt to poke it home. However, Anouar El Azzouzi was unable to generate any meaningful contact, allowing Paderborn to scramble clear and preserve their slender lead at half-time.

Markus Anfang’s side emerged with renewed intent after the interval, throwing everything at their promotion-chasing visitors and visibly unsettling Paderborn with their intensity. The pressure finally paid off just after the hour mark when Shinta Appelkamp collected the ball inside the Paderborn half, drove towards goal and unleashed a fierce effort that took a slight deflection on its way past Denis Seimen to level the scores.

Things soon worsened for Ralf Kettemann’s side. With 18 minutes remaining, Valgeir Lunddal attempted to send Cedric Itten through on goal, forcing Mattes Hansen to haul the striker down. The defender was shown a second yellow card, leaving Paderborn under severe pressure for the closing stages.

Fortuna maintained their dominance and completed the turnaround seven minutes from time. Satoshi Tanaka played a neat one-two with Appelkamp before squaring the ball perfectly for Itten, who calmly finished low past Seimen to spark pandemonium inside the Merkur Spiel-Arena.

It was a huge win for Markus Anfang’s side, who have now taken three victories from their last five matches and are finding form at a crucial stage of the campaign. The result lifts Fortuna up to 13th place. For Paderborn, it proved a damaging defeat - missing the chance to go top and instead ending the weekend in fourth.