The Offenbacher Kickers stay on top after their fourth win in a row.
When the last attack by the Hoffenheim reserve fizzled out and the final whistle rang, Kickers Offenbach’s Serkan Firat made a joy hop. Goalkeeper Stephan Flauder clenched his fists and shortly afterwards all OFC players were in each other’s arms. Only record man Sreto Ristic was usually cautious.
“I’m happy that we won a game,” said the 44-year-old. His best mark (as the first Kickers coach he remained undefeated in the first eight regional league games), however, is only “a thing on the edge”. The team’s performance, which he praised as “flawless”, is more important to the coach than his personal balance sheet. And anyway: “It is helpful to start the English week with a win.” Especially since it marks the beginning of the weeks of truth.
In the demanding March with a total of six games, the ambitious fourth almost only faces duels with teams from the upper half of the table. Among other things, it goes against front-runner SC Freiburg II, the second TSV Steinbach-Haiger and the only two points worse FSV Frankfurt, who is three games behind. At the beginning of April there will also be a trial of strength with Ulm (5th). For him, only the game on Tuesday (5 p.m.) at Seventh FC Homburg counts, according to Ristic.
Joachim Wagner, on the other hand, has his eyes on the competition. The OFC President followed on Saturday in Hoffenheim by mobile phone what was happening in the other seats. Since all direct competitors also won, the narrow victory of the Kickers was all the more important. Even if Ristic assesses it differently, at least in public. You don’t look at the others, but you can make sure that they look at the OFC, the coach said before the game in Hoffenheim. With the fourth victory in a row, the Kickers emphasized once again that they can be expected in the title fight.
Karbstein beheads the winning goal
The defensive performance was particularly impressive. Although the hosts used some players from the (extended) Bundesliga squad, Kickers keeper Flauder was hardly challenged. Hoffenheim never came to a conclusion in the first half, initially only twice from a distance after the break, whereby the OFC was lucky when it hit the crossbar.
The Kickers, however, could have already led to the break. Mathias Fetsch headed past, Denis Huseinbasis and Maik Vetter failed because of Hoffenheim’s goalkeeper Luca Dante Philipp. The OFC could once again rely on its currently most dangerous weapon: the balls at rest. After a corner from Firat, the attacking central defender Malte Karbstein hurried away from his guard and heaved the ball into the mesh with his forehead – 1-0 (70th) and the decision for the OFC. “It was hard work, but we deserved to win”, Serken Firat summed up aptly.
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