SpVgg Unterhaching hoped for a great moment after six games without a win - and showed it against SV Wehen Wiesbaden.
With the best performance of the season and despite an early deficit, the Hachinger won 2: 1, celebrating their first victory since October 11 and climbing out of the relegation zone.
Unterhaching match winner was Luca Marseiler, of all people, who was not in the squad twice recently and surprisingly appeared in the starting line-up on Saturday.
The 23-year-old scored the winning goal with a brilliant twist.
But that wasn't the only notable personality.
“Not being in the last two games, that hurt,” admitted Marseiler after the game at “Magenta Sport”, “I thought about that too.
I think I showed the right reaction. ”Coach Arie van Lent, who had obviously given the Hachingen home-grown man a pause for thought because of a lax training attitude, had done everything right with his disciplinary measure.
“The break obviously did him good,” said the head coach of SpVgg, “Luca can help decide games and I'm really happy that he did it today.
We don't like to take him out, but he has to do everything for it during the week as well.
Today he did really well. "
In a team that was enormously committed and motivated this time without any compromises, Markus Schwabl also earned the top grade.
He did the preparatory work for both Unterhachinger goals, so that as captain of the team is not only more important in terms of attitude, but also as a goal preparer.
In the 11th game of the season, the scorer points were four and five for the full-back.
The 1-1, which Dominik Stroh-Engel scored from close range in the 20th minute, was preceded by an energetic effort and a tailor-made cross from Marseiler, Schwabl had done the direct preparatory work with his shot in front of goal.
Before the 2: 1, Schwabl fought for the ball with a tackle in midfield, Niclas Stierlin - also one of the best on Saturday - then delivered the cross for Marseiler's winning goal.
“Markus is someone who always leads the way,” said van Lent.
Haching's coach also explicitly mentioned a third of his players: 18-year-old Felix Göttlicher, who made his third division debut in central defense instead of Christoph Greger.
"He was extremely nervous," said van Lant, "but he did it really well for 87 minutes." However, he got off to an unfortunate start to his professional career.
Because it was exactly 105 seconds played when Wehen Wiesbaden took the lead.
After losing the ball at the center line, the guests switched to attack at lightning speed, Göttlicher was left behind in the duel with Malone.
But the early 0: 1 this time was like a wake-up call for SpVgg.
“The goal was actually not an advantage for us,” said guest coach Rüdiger Rehm, “that woke Haching.
The opponent has become stronger as a result, we weaker. ”With a lot of fighting spirit, but also playful class, the hosts seized the reins and had the game fully under control.
The 1: 1 was the logical consequence and well deserved.
In the second round, the Hachinger team became noticeably more tired from the 70th minute on, but they still had two post hits by Marseiler and Niclas Anspach.
Anspach also missed the empty goal in the pursuit and shortly before the end, Boipelo Mashigo, who had been substituted again, was not determined enough in front of Wiesbaden's keeper boss.
Schwabl saved on the other side when the guests had the best chance on the goal line, but the bottom line was that SpVgg's victory was well deserved and the relief was great.
"We played a good game and deserved to win, the win could have been even bigger," said Arie van Lent.
“It is of course nice that we won again.” And after a long dry spell, his team finally showed what they are capable of.
“If you win, everything is right, if you lose, everything is wrong, I don't see it that way,” says van Lent, “but yes, today everything went well with the result.
That was definitely a step forward. "