1. FC Kaiserslautern won its first test match in 2024 on Saturday, January 6, 2024, against Turkish second division club Genclerbirligi 4:1 (1:1). The goals for FCK were scored by Ragnar Ache, Boris Tomiak from the final penalty spot and newcomer Dickson Abiama, who scored twice.
The Red Devils, who completed an intensive training session in the morning, took the lead after just four minutes: Ragnar Ache sank the ball into the far corner after a cross pass from Richmond Tachie. Shortly beforehand, Julian Niehues had already scored the first goal of the new year, but unfortunately shot it just wide of the box.
In the first half, FCK’s new signings Frank Ronstadt and Filip Stojilkovic were among those on the pitch, making their debut in the Betze jersey. Even though FCK head coach Dimitirios Grammozis’ men were easily aware of the intensive sessions they had completed leading up to the friendly, Philipp Klement, among others, was able to create another scoring opportunity. But the equalizer followed in the 18th minute: after a cross from the right side, Olarenwaju Kayode was at the far post. FCK keeper Julian Krahl was initially able to fend off his shot from close range, but Genclerbirligi’s number 10 put the follow-up shot into the goal.
Almost half an hour had been played when FCK had their next opportunity: after a foul on Stojilkovic, the Red Devils were given a free kick. Klement took the lead and found Julian Niehues, who put the ball past the goal again. Around 10 minutes before the end of the first half there were turbulent scenes: After Jan Elvedi was fouled by Amilton da Silva, the player from the Turkish second division club complained loudly about the whistle and thus caused the first heated discussions on the pitch. When Tymoteusz Puchacz was roughly laid down by the same opponent after the game restarted, a heated pack formation broke out, but was quickly ended by those in charge and players from both teams. Genclerbirligi responded by replacing Amilton da Silva to bring more calm to the game. Despite the interruption, the referee blew his whistle punctually for half-time.
The Red Devils started the game 1-1 and had ten new players. Only Nikola Soldo remained from the first set. In the 55th minute, a new addition gave the FCK the lead again: Dickson Abiama scored from an assist on the left side by Kenny Prince Redondo and Hendrick Zuck to make it 2-1 for Betze. In addition to him, the around 80 FCK fans present were also able to see Chance Simakala on the pitch in the second half, who caused a lot of excitement. Overall, after taking the lead again, the Red Devils took the game into their own hands and put the Turkish second division team under a lot of pressure on the offensive time and again. Substitute Kenny Prince Redondo also repeatedly used his speed to penetrate dangerously into the opponent’s penalty area, but was ultimately denied by his opponents, as in the 69th minute when his shot was defused by goalkeeper Atalay Gökce.
But that shouldn’t dampen FCK’s offensive drive. And the Grammozis men were rewarded for their efforts: ten minutes before the end, it was Abiama again who stormed towards the opponent’s goal at lightning speed and scored a goal worth seeing! His lob from the right side hit the inside post and landed into the net from there. Anyone who thought that the Red Devils would now shift down a gear with the 3-1 win was wrong: with wonderful combination football, the Betze boys, playing in red, repeatedly got into the opponent’s penalty area. They could only be stopped in the 84th minute by committing a foul, which resulted in a penalty. Boris Tomiak, who had already presented himself as a confident shooter in the first half of the season, grabbed the ball and scored the final point of the game with his goal to make it 4-1.
2024-01-06 18:14:03
#win #FCK #wins #friendly #match #Genclerbirligi #FCK
