Waldhof Mannheim must settle for a draw at 1. FC Saarbrücken. One scene in particular sparked heated discussions.
Waldhof Mannheim at 1. FC Saarbrücken or the fifth in the 3rd division as a guest in the fourth. Both teams could only get back into the promotion race with a win. But early gamers and fans had to wait for the best game. Due to the snow chaos in the Saarland and the traffic routes affected, the match started 30 minutes later.
However, the match went well. Waldhof Mannheim was very present right from the start, but mostly on the defensive. As a result, Saarbrücken also got the first chance. But Waldhof goalkeeper Timo Königsmann managed to block Dominik Ernst’s volley (15′).
Waldhof Mannheim discusses controversial penalty
Things got hectic shortly afterwards: a short back pass from Stefano Russo put goalkeeper Königsmann under pressure. FCS striker Julian Günther-Schmidt stepped in and got the ball first. The Waldhof goalkeeper threw himself at the striker’s feet, Günther-Schmidt fell and referee Christian Dingert immediately awarded a penalty, although in slow motion it looked more like a swallow. But the decision has been made. The fouled man went off on his own and missed the shot (23.)
But even after that, Günther-Schmidt remained the most dangerous man on the pitch. Just nine minutes later, he reappeared in the Waldhof penalty area, but his strike from an acute angle hit the post. Since Waldhof Mannheim hardly ever got dangerously close to the Saarbrücker goal in the first half, it was 0-0 at half-time.
Kother misses the ‘Lucky Punch’ for Waldhof Mannheim
After the break, the game changed: Waldhof Mannheim attacked Saarbrücken in his own penalty area and immediately had a double chance: Joseph Boyamba with a dangerous shot from the limit of 16, but goalkeeper Daniel Batz was able to save, but only in front of Marcel Costley’s feet. He immediately switched to Jesper Verlaat; but his header missed the goal (49th). Mannheim remained superior, but without having more chances to score.
However, the Kurpfälzer failed to maintain pressure permanently. The game leveled out midway through the second half. Only in the final phase did the match become exciting again when both teams threw everything ahead, but were often too inaccurate. Although Dominik Kother still had a chance to score the winner for Waldhof Mannheim in added time, the 22-year-old was unable to get past Batz.
Waldhof Mannheim is now eight points behind
Therefore it remained at 0:0, which doesn’t help either team. Because after the narrow victory of Eintracht Braunschweig (1-0 at Wehen Wiesbaden), Waldhof Mannheim still has one game less than Lower Saxony, but is already eight points away from relegation. Saarbrücken is in fourth place with 51 points (one point more than Mannheim). Kurpfälzer have to play against SC Freiburg II in two weeks time (Monday 18 April, 19:00).
