2nd Bundesliga: St. Pauli stops Lautern's soaring flight, Darmstadt extends the lead in the table

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Connor Metcalfe (number 24) scored the acclaimed 1-0 win for St. Pauli against Kaiserslautern

Photo: Michael Schwartz / dpa

With victories for Darmstadt 98 (2:1 against Eintracht Braunschweig), FC St. Pauli (1:0 against Kaiserslautern) and Fortuna Düsseldorf (2:0 against SV Sandhausen), the 20th matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga comes to an end went.

Darmstadt extended its lead in the table to four points in front of HSV.

Fortuna stays close to the top group in sixth place and Kaiserslautern missed the direct connection to the top trio due to the defeat at St. Pauli.

Table leaders Darmstadt 98 wanted to increase the gap to pursuers HSV in the home game at the Böllenfalltor, but it became apparent in the first half that this would be difficult: Braunschweig defended strongly and then also countered well.

When Fabio Kaufmann (20th minute) and Keita Endo (34th minute) and Keita Endo (34th minute) shots, Lilien keeper Marcel Schuhen was able to excel.

Braunschweig got lucky shortly before the break: After Mathias Honsak hit the crossbar from 20 meters, Marvin Mehlem headed the goal with a dust collector.

However, the goal was disallowed due to a striker foul.

Shortly after the restart, there was sudden excitement: Christoph Zimmermann had his hand on the ball after a free kick from Braunschweig.

After video evidence, Robert Kampka decided on a penalty, which Manuel Wintzheimer put in on the bottom right to give Braunschweig the lead (52).

In the final phase, Darmstadt was overwhelmingly superior.

Honsak rewarded the lilies with a late goal, but worth seeing: after a sharp cross, he headed into the left corner from five meters to equalize (82').

Phillip Tietz then even turned the game around, his dust-off after a deflected Honsak shot counted after an offside check by the video referee.

With the 2-1 victory, leaders Darmstadt are now four points ahead of HSV.

In Hamburg's St. Pauli district, two teams on the upswing keen to extend their winning streaks met.

However, the first half of the home game against FC Kaiserslautern, who have been successful five times in a row, was rough and lacking in highlights: FCK debutant Nicolai Rapp would have already des Place can be referred - it stayed with yellow.

The first dangerous shot on goal in the form of a Hartel header over the crossbar did not come until the 44th minute.

In the second half, St. Pauli turned up the heat and kept combining.

After a chip ball from Eric Smith, which broke the Lauterer defense chain, it happened: Metcalfe scored to make it 1-0 for the home side (72nd).

Lautern almost found the direct answer, but after Pauli defender Karol Mets misjudged a cross and Terrence Boyd got a free shot, the ball jumped over the bar (74').

In the closing stages, Lautern risked everything.

More than three yellow cards (plus two for St. Pauli) and a missed header to equalize by Lex-Tyger Lobinger (84th) did not result.

In Düsseldorf, the sand houses threatened with relegation were low at the beginning and did not allow much against the game-determining Fortuna.

Long-range shots from Emmanuel Iyoha (23') and Ao Tanaka (28') were too harmless.

Daniel Ginczek's best chance with a header was parried by SVS goalkeeper Patrick Drewes in the follow-up (39').

In the second half, too, it was almost entirely up to Drewes to score.

Long-range attempts were unsuccessful, Drewes also parried time and time again.

Then the late liberation for Düsseldorf: After good preliminary work from Ginczek, defender Tim Oberdorf put the ball in the right place from eleven meters and the deflected shot landed in the far corner (85th).

Düsseldorf used the momentum for the double strike.

After a one-two with the goalscorer Oberdorf, Rouwen Hennings scored from five meters to make it 2-0 (88th).

Dusseldorf stays close to the top group with 32 points and is in sixth place behind Kaiserslautern, who has 35 points.

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