Bundesliga - Darmstadt takes heart from draw in relegation battle
Promoted Darmstadt 98 have been rewarded for a courageous performance with a point and gained new courage in the relegation battle in the Bundesliga ahead of the winter break. Despite trailing three times at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Tuesday evening, the Hessians came away with a deserved 3:3 (1:2) and now have ten points to their name.
In front of 18,125 spectators, Andrej Kramaric scored from the penalty spot in the 14th minute and Ihlas Bebou (28th/66th) for TSG, who moved up to sixth place in the table with 24 points, at least overnight. Luca Pfeiffer (23rd) and Tim Skarke (57th/85th) scored for the Hessians, who are now without a win in nine games.
Darmstadt's last squad - eight professionals were missing due to injury or illness - put up brave resistance for 90 minutes and were rewarded for their self-sacrificing fight with a partial victory in the end. Too many mistakes in defense cost coach Torsten Lieberknecht 's team a possible victory.
Hoffenheim dominated the game for long periods, but hardly showed any flashes of brilliance. Kramaric nevertheless had the chance to take the lead early on, but the Croatian narrowly missed the target with a header.
Just six minutes later, the TSG striker made the most of his second opportunity when he scored from the penalty spot. Klaus Gjasula had previously pulled Bebou, who had run clear, off his feet in the penalty area.
However, the visitors were not impressed and were rewarded for their efforts. Pfeiffer finished off a beautiful combination after an assist from Bartol Franjic. It was the first goal of the season for the striker on loan from VfB Stuttgart.
However, the joy of the equalizer did not last long. Shortly after Grischa Prömel had missed a one-hundred percent chance, the midfielder played a dream pass to Bebou, who easily rounded visiting goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen and slotted home.
The Lilies struck back for a second time after the break. Skarke scored with a dry low shot into the right corner from around 15 meters out, with Pfeiffer doing the rest. However, the home side's response was not long in coming. Once again, it was the striking Bebou who gave Schuhen no chance with a low shot.
The visitors seemed unable to recover from the third goal. Despite their tireless efforts, coach Torsten Lieberknecht's team were barely able to initiate any dangerous attacking moves.
In fact, Hoffenheim could have extended the lead, but John Anthony Brooks thumped the ball over the crossbar from five meters. That took its revenge in the closing stages when Skarke finished off a disastrous misplaced pass from TSG defender Ozan Kabak.
SV Darmstadt 98 squad Bundesliga fixtures Bundesliga table Bundesliga table TSG 1899 Hoffenheim squad
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- Despite the relegation battle, SV Darmstadt 98 managed to earn a point against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in Germany's soccer league, showing remarkable resilience.
- The draw at Hoffenheim lifted Darmstadt's spirits, moving them up the table to ten points, albeit temporarily.
- Andrej Kramaric and Ihlas Bebou each scored twice for Hoffenheim, while Luca Pfeiffer and Tim Skarke found the net for Darmstadt.
- The Hesse-based team, Darmstadt 98, faced nine consecutive games without a win, but their determined performance earned them a partial victory.
- In the Bundesliga clash, Hoffenheim from Baden-Württemberg showcased long periods of dominance but failed to demonstrate significant brilliance.
- Torsten Lieberknecht's side, Darmstadt, were resilient, despite eight key players being missing due to injury or illness.
- TSG's defense had an error-prone evening, which cost them a chance at a potential victory, as too many mistakes were made.
- Hoffenheim's Klaus Gjasula fouled Bebou to grant a penalty and give Kramaric the opportunity to put Hoffenheim in the lead early in the game.
- Tim Skarke's dry low shot into the right corner equaled the score for Darmstadt in the second half, momentarily relieving the pressure for the Hessians in the Bundesliga's relegation battle.
Source: www.stern.de
