1. FC Kaiserslautern still won in the 2nd Bundesliga against VfL Osnabrück after falling behind twice. Ragnar Ache (90.+2) shook the Betzenberg on Sunday (March 10, 2024) in stoppage time with his goal to make it 3-2 (0-0).
VfL striker Erik Engelhardt (48th, 69th) gave the guests the lead twice after a corner kick. Ache (66th) and ex-Osnabrück player Ba-Muaka Simakala (78th) equalized for Kaiserslautern – before Ache caused the hosts to cheer and breathe a sigh of relief with his 14th goal of the season.
In the bottom of the table, FCK (28 points) kept the bottom team (19) at bay. Coach Friedhelm Funkel’s team also has a cushion of seven points in 16th place. For Osnabrück, however, things are looking bleaker again after two recent wins.
To the live ticker: Kaiserslautern – Osnabrück Arrow right 25th matchday Arrow right
VfL coach Uwe Koschinat had to collect himself after the game: “We took the lead twice at the right time, the FCK became restless, an ideal situation. Then it was an individual action from Simkala that brought the FCK into the game brought back.” That’s why it hurts a lot to end up empty-handed.
And the fact that Ba-Muaka Simakala, of all people, met as an ex-Osnabrück player was significant, Koschinat found. “It’s difficult. On the pitch you’re enemies for 90 minutes and after the game you’re brothers again. That’s bitter, but that’s football,” said Lautern’s Simakala.
Jürgen Schmidt, Sportschau, March 10, 2024 4:04 p.m
Engelhardt is there for Osnabrück
After an intense but overall uneventful first 45 minutes, things got wild in the second half. Osnabrück put the first exclamation point straight after the restart. The FCK didn’t get a corner cleared properly. Engelhardt gained space ten meters in front of the goal and shot in from the turn to make it 1-0.
From that point on there was real fire. The FCK fought back through emotions and intense duels. After a free kick from half-right, Ache failed to get a header into the goal (62′). But in the second attempt it worked. During a corner kick, Ache rose highest at the second post and nodded the ball in to make it 1-1.
Florian Winkler, Sportschau, March 10, 2024 3:37 p.m
Lautern’s Ache ends back and forth
But shortly afterwards the guests were in the lead again and again the goal came from a corner. Oumar Diakhite headed a long cross at the second post towards the far corner and in a scrum at the post Engelhardt pushed the ball over the line with his shoulder for his ninth goal of the season.
Driven by the crowd, Kaiserslautern continued to play powerfully forward and were rewarded spectacularly. Simakala volleyed a blocked corner just before the edge of the penalty area and hit the ball into the right corner to make it 2-2. Both teams wanted the decision afterwards. It went back and forth and was highly emotional. FCK coach Friedhelm Funkel received a yellow card because he complained too forcefully about a whistle from the referee (83′).
And then there was a big celebration in stoppage time when Ache actually scored the winning goal after a counterattack with his falling shot from ten meters. “Scoring goals is always a good feeling,” said Ache at the Sportschau microphone.
Jürgen Schmidt, Sportschau, March 10, 2024 4:24 p.m
Kaiserslautern to Hanover, Osnabrück to Düsseldorf
Things won’t get any easier for FCK in the coming weeks. The schedule includes Hannover 96, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Hamburger SV and SpVgg Greuther Fürth in the 2nd league without exception from the top group. A top team is also waiting for Osnabrück on matchday 26: On Friday (March 15, 2024, 6:30 p.m.) Fortuna Düsseldorf will be a guest at the Bremer Brücke.