2. Bundesliga: A tale of two halves as Paderborn and Darmstadt draw

First-half goals from Marco Richter and Killian Corredor gave Darmstadt a commanding lead at the break, but a spirited second-half fightback from Paderborn saw Mika Baur and Sebastian Klaas rescue a point for the hosts in a 2-2 draw.

The visitors got off to a perfect start just four minutes in. Sergio López raced down the right to latch onto a ball over the top and reached the byline, where he helped it back into the box. Isac Lidberg cleverly cushioned the delivery with his chest for Marco Richter, whose shot took a wicked deflection on its way past Denis Seimen to make it 0-1.

Darmstadt continued to look the sharper of the two sides and the more likely to add to their lead, with Paderborn sloppy in possession and struggling to generate much going forward. The visitors doubled their advantage in the 37th minute when Hiroki Akiyama battled down the left before laying the ball back to Richter. His initial effort was blocked, but Killian Corredor reacted quickest to fire home the rebound and send Darmstadt into the interval with a 0-2 lead.

Ralf Kettemann got the response he was looking for just ten minutes into the second half. Laurin Curda won the ball back and drove down the right into the penalty area, with the ball eventually breaking invitingly for Mika Baur, who produced a cool side-footed finish from outside the box to give Paderborn a lifeline at 1-2.

The hosts continued to push forward and put Darmstadt under sustained pressure, but Marcel Schuhen and Sergio López stood firm for the visitors. López, in particular, produced a vital goal-line clearance from a corner to preserve Darmstadt’s lead as Paderborn’s frustration began to show with their pressure failing to yield a second goal.

Paderborn finally got their reward inside the final ten minutes when Kai Klefisch was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box following a lengthy VAR check. Sebastian Klaas stepped up and calmly sent Schuhen the wrong way, slotting into the bottom corner to level the scores at 2-2. The hosts clearly sensed more, racing back to their own half in search of a late winner.

Paderborn continued to press but were unable to find a fifth goal, with the referee eventually bringing an entertaining contest to a close. While the spirited second-half comeback earned Paderborn a point, they head into the break having won just one of their last five matches. Darmstadt will be disappointed to have let a two-goal lead slip, but can take comfort in sitting third in the table heading into the new year.