Düsseldorf Fortuna experiences a baffling ten-minute breakdown.
In a surprising turn of events, the leading team, Fortuna Düsseldorf, dropped points in a crucial home game against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. They held a 2:1 lead shortly after the break, but collapsed within ten minutes, losing 4:3 (1:1). With a win, they could have created a considerable gap from the second-place team. However, the Fortuna managed to collect only one point from their last three home games, with a disappointing goal difference of 4:9. Kaiserslautern, being five points behind, now has an opportunity to close the gap.
Fortuna commenced the game forcefully and aggressively, performing well in front of 44,557 spectators. Despite this, FCK managed to score the first goal through Daniel Hanslik (14.). The leading team responded well after an incident involving FCK goalkeeper Julian Krahl and Fortuna striker Dawid Kownacki during a corner. Krahl was issued a yellow card for punching Kownacki, and Isak Bergmann Johannesson confidently converted the resulting penalty (35.). Kownacki had to leave the game, presumably due to a serious knee injury.
The pressure on Lautern increased, and they struggled to hold on. Myron van Brederode (49.) capitalized on the opportunity and scored the second goal, positioning himself centrally and shooting the ball into the far corner. Fortuna continued their aggressive play, but bizarre occurrences started influencing the game. Following a Düsseldorf shot by Giovanni Haag, Daisuke Yokota (57.) scored an extraordinary goal, which brought the score to 2:2. Four minutes later, Ragnar Ache utilized a double mistake by Haag and goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier, taking the lead. Hanslik (67.) then extended the lead with a powerful header. Fortuna found themselves 2:4 down just ten minutes later, and the consolation goal by Felix Klaus (90.+4) came too late.
In spite of the yellow card issued to FCK goalkeeper Julian Krahl for punching Fortuna striker Dawid Kownacki, 1.FC Kaiserslautern managed to maintain their composure and eventually scored the opening goal through Daniel Hanslik. After their initial lead, 1.FC Kaiserslautern faced pressure and had to defend against a resilient Fortuna Düsseldorf, who managed to equalize with an extraordinary goal by Daisuke Yokota.
