2. Bundesliga 13:30 Kickoffs: Bremen and HSV held by relegation-battlers, Karlsruhe win at the Holstein-Stadion
The afternoon action in the 2. Bundesliga saw Werder Bremen and HSV held by two relegation-threatened teams, and Karlsruhe going up North and dispatching Holstein Kiel.
SV Sandhausen 1-1 Hamburger SV
Sandhausen created a habit of beating HSV before, with a 5-1 win in 18/19 and a 2-1 win last season meaning HSV weren't to be promoted. SVS had a dream start when Pascal Testroet tapped the ball in from a Zenga cross on 15 minutes. Trainer Alois Schwartz must've thought his team had doubled their advantage when Janik Bachmann bundled the ball home after a lucky deflection off a HSV defender, but VAR called the goal back for a handball on the midfielder. Sandhausen were working harder than HSV, they had more passion and looked like they wanted to win more. The look on HSV coach Tim Walter's face at half-time said that he was not going to be calm in the half-time team-talk, and Sandhausen knew that they had to not allow a HSV goal early in the second half and may come under extreme pressure. The second half started as very open, Patrick Drewes made a couple of great saves, David Kinsombi's effort was stopped magnificently by the Sandhausen keeper. Sonny Kittel levelled proceedings on the hour mark, the ball fell to him in the box and a left-footed shot finally beat Drewes. Sandhausen remained strong defensively and the points were shared.
SV Werder Bremen 1-1 FC Ingolstadt 04
Werder Bremen were looking for their eighth straight league victory, while an Ingolstadt win would mean back-to-back away victories for the first time this season. A spirited, well-fought, and quite simply amazing first half from Ingolstadt meant the game was level. It's a common theme that we're seeing since FCI hired Rüdiger Rehm. If they manage to keep the game tight, they will have the power on the counter-attack. Ingolstadt are now fun to watch, and by watching them against Bremen, I think there could be a chance of a great escape. After 75 minutes of doggid battling from the away team, Werder finally scored. Anthony Jung's cross was met by Niclas Füllkrug, his header was in the top right corner. Ingolstadt were never going to give up, and Filip Bibija levelled the game on 85 minutes, and Ingolstadt ended the winning run for Ole Werner!
Holstein Kiel 0-2 Karlsruher SC
Karlsruhe were looking to back-up a good win against Nürnberg with a positive result in Kiel. The Storks came into the game on a six-match unbeaten run, and that run seemed to be in danger when Daniel O'Shaughnessy's header gave the away team a lead. Winger Fabian Schleusener doubled the Karlsruhe lead on 67 minutes, and KSC snap the Kiel unbeaten run. The game ended 2-0, a good win for Karlsruhe.