Thanks to the exceptional talent Can Uzun, 1. FC Nürnberg ended their crisis in time and secured their place in the second Bundesliga. The club deservedly won 3-0 (1-0) against newly promoted SV Elversberg on the penultimate matchday and was able to gain a decisive advantage in the tight relegation battle. The Franconians had only picked up one meager point from the last seven games and were therefore once again in trouble.
Felix Lohkemper (43rd minute) gave coach Cristian Fiel’s team the lead after a great pass from the outside of the instep from Uzun. Jan Gyamerah increased with a hand penalty (52nd). Young star Uzun, who is moving to Eintracht Frankfurt, made everything clear in the 64th minute after a nice solo effort. It was the 16th goal of the season for the 18-year-old, who is hoping to take part in the European Championship for Turkey.
The nine-time German champions Nuremberg had barely avoided relegation last season. Due to a lack of “sporting development” (supervisory board chairman Peter Meier), sports director Dieter Hecking was also fired a few days ago. The search for a successor to Hecking is ongoing.
Kaiserslautern is hoping for Braunschweig
1. FC Kaiserslautern, however, missed out on staying in the league on the penultimate matchday due to their own efforts. Coach Friedhelm Funkel’s team lost 1:3 (1:2) to Hertha BSC and will have to continue to tremble at least until Sunday. If Wehen Wiesbaden loses to Eintracht Braunschweig (1.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the 2nd Bundesliga and on Sky), the DFB Cup finalist would still be saved before the last matchday.
Marlon Ritter’s equalizer with a remarkable free kick (39′) was not enough for the Palatinate team in the Olympic Stadium. Haris Tabakovic (19th, penalty kick), Jeremy Dudziak (45th + 3) and Fabian Reese (67th) scored for the Berliners. It could have been the last home game for Hertha’s coach Pal Dardai. According to “Bild” newspaper and “Kicker”, the expiring contract with Dardai will not be extended. Dardai, Hertha’s Bundesliga record player, has been the coach of the capital club for the third time since April 2023.
Hansa Rostock is currently facing relegation. Coach Mersad Selimbegovic’s team lost 1:2 (1:2) at Schalke 04 and could follow VfL Osnabrück into the third division on Sunday. If Wehen Wiesbaden wins at Eintracht Braunschweig, Rostock will be the second relegated team.
Kenan Karaman (22nd) and Paul Seguin (45th + 5) scored Schalke’s goals, with striker Simon Terodde saying goodbye to the cheers of the fans before the last home game of the season. The 36-year-old will end his career in the summer. Sarpreet Singh (32′) had equalized for the guests in the meantime, but was shown a red card in the second half for serious foul play (69′).
Riots in Gelsenkirchen
Rostock initially got into the game well and missed the first big opportunity through Svante Ingelsson (7th). The guests continued to defend themselves against the threat of relegation, but Hansa allowed themselves some inattention on the defensive. They were punished twice by the Royal Blues before the break.
There were riots before the encounter. There was a clash between fans of the two teams in Nordsternpark, involving several hundred violent criminals. The Gelsenkirchen police announced this on Saturday afternoon. “The incident shows that further clashes are to be expected throughout the day,” said operations manager Peter Both.