The bitter 1:3 (0:1) failure at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II in injury time sparked an argument at Kickers Offenbach: Would you rather take the full risk for three points or defend a point?
Offenbach – It could have been the ultimate game day for the Offenbacher Kickers. The competition from Ulm (0-0 in Bahlingen), Steinbach Haiger (1-1 in Mainz), Homburg (1-1 in Frankfurt) fail in a row – and what is the OFC doing? After a strong second half, they lost 1:3 (0:1) against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II with two goals in added time. Instead of narrowing the gap to leader Ulm to five points, it grew to eight points.
At the OFC, a discussion ensued on how to judge the approach in the final phase. After all, it is the second time after 2:3 at TSV Steinbach Haiger that the Kickers have given away a point in the final tournament.
The fireworks display divides the spirits of the fans
It was Hoffenheim’s 53rd minute when OFC fans felt transported back to the 1990s. The ultras of the regional football league, operating under the name K71, celebrated their 10th anniversary with pyrotechnic fireworks. The guest block glowed bright red, continuous singing came through the smoke. Since then, there has been a lively discussion in the fan camp on social media with two opposing opinions: ‘Great action’ or ‘It hurts the club’. OFC chief executive Matthias Georg was sorry Pyro took the field: “It’s a no go, we have to deal with it, let’s talk.” jm
“Maybe we should have grasped the point,” said Björn Jopek. In the 73rd minute the midfielder equalized the early deficit with his third goal of the season, which was quite controversial because Andu Kelati (9th) was presumably offside. The Kickers had rewarded themselves with a significantly better performance in the second half and continued to steadily seek their way.
“I can’t blame the team. He’s done everything to equalize before and finally wants to convert the energy into a win,” said coach Ersan Parlatan, who suffered a second defeat with OFC – and as in Haiger , was as unhappy as it was useless.
“We were clearly superior in the second half, but we can’t buy anything,” admitted Christian Derflinger. His teammate Jopek meanwhile gave insight into the emotional world of the team. “You feel the pressure of having to win every game,” he said, referring to the aftermath of the weak start to the season with eleven points from eight games.
But of course Jopek also knows the shortcomings that currently prevent the OFC from recovering more successfully. “We can’t be 1-0 down in every game,” he said. OFC had fallen behind for the fifth time in their last six competitive matches. He was cautious in the first half and, apart from Derflinger’s shot (30′), had no convincing chances. That changed in the second period, which was also helped by substitutes Törles Knöll and Jakob Zitzelsberger. As a striker, Knöll pressed much harder than Dejan Bozic previously. Zitzelsberger came on for Maximilian Rossmann, who was about to be sent off and who remained in the dressing room after two fouls of a more rustic nature. In the last home game of the year, on Saturday (14:00) against Rot-Weiss Koblenz, he will miss his fifth yellow card.
“We probably played better in the second half than in the whole season,” Jopek was annoyed. However, it remains to be said that dominance and control of the game is one thing, efficiency in offensive play is another. Managing Director Matthias Georg counted 16 discoveries left and right. A Hoffenheimer has almost always clarified the situation in the end.
Equally surprising: OFC makes too many mistakes in crucial situations. Before Kelati made it 0-1, Semir Saric speculated incorrectly and thus conceded the pass. Before 1: 2 in the second minute of stoppage time, Lemmer lost the ball after a long sprint from his own half. Umut Tohumcu takes advantage of the too much free space in front of the goal and puts the ball into the net on the left (90+2), with the last action of the game he brings out the hammer again. After Saric lost the ball, his second long shot landed in the right corner.
By Joerg Moll
