Is this how the heart of a climber beats?
With a 3:1 win over Darmstadt 98, 1. FC Nürnberg came back impressively in the mega-exciting promotion race. Barely a week after the disappointing performance in Heidenheim (1:3), the club won against Lilien with a head and a fight, and five games before the end of the season are only four points behind a direct promotion place.
Unbelievable, but true: Ironically, the much-criticized FCN standards brought the triple this time. Against the Hessians, who are strong in the air, and who have four players over 1.96 meters tall in their ranks, Sturmzwerg Nikola Dovedan (1.71 meters) first won a header duel to make it 1-0 (43rd). And shortly before the end Lukas Schleimer (1.80 meters) made it 2-1 (82nd). Both goals were preceded by a free kick (Geis) and a corner (Duman).
Head coach Robert Klauß (37) relieved: “The standard goals came at the right time today. We haven’t scored that many yet. They came at the right moment today.” And Dovedan added with a grin: “We felt like we were 25 centimeters smaller than our opponents. I think they underestimated me a bit. The goal gave us strength.”
After HSV (2:1), the club has now defeated another top team. Not the worst prerequisite for the upcoming promotion weeks with duels on Sunday (1.30 p.m.) against Bremen, St. Pauli (April 29) and Schalke (May 15).
Even Klauß teases quietly about the return to the Bundesliga: “The win means we’re in good shape. It’s important that we keep at it and achieve more than we already have.”
