Heidenheim remains impeccable during its European trip – TSG scores against Lyon

Third victory for FCH

1. FC Heidenheim’s remarkable winning streak in the Conference League continues. Thanks to ruthless efficiency and after an increase in power in the second half, the Ostalb club won 2-0 (0-0) against the Scottish representatives of Heart of Midlothian, won their third three-point shot during of the third match of the championship stage and is quickly approaching the knockout stage. The next day will take place against the great Chelsea FC in three weeks.

Sirlord Conteh scored with a remarkable diving header in the 57th minute in Edinburgh. Substitute Jan Schöppner also opened the lead just before the end (89th). In the Bundesliga, the Heidenheim team recently only got one point in four games. They also suffered an early elimination from the DFB Cup against second division club Hertha BSC. On the international stage, things always go according to plan for the Swabians.

The first half clearly belonged to Hearts. They attacked Heidenheim early and deep in their own half. After just three minutes, a poor ball loss from Lennard Maloney almost gave the hosts the lead, but FCH goalkeeper Kevin Müller corrected the midfielder’s mistake – and was there again shortly after against Lawrence Shankland (8th). It was only gradually that the Bundesliga club managed to calm things down. The evening was also painful for the Heidenheimers: Luca Kerber was hit in the face head-on at close range, bleeding profusely from the nose and was unable to survive. was able to continue playing only after a few minutes of treatment. Full-back Marnon Busch had to be replaced before the break.

FCH coach Frank Schmidt rightly looked dissatisfied in the first half, but he could almost have been happy with his team’s 1-0 victory. The home team deflected a header from Maloney just in front of the line (44th). The Scots were much stronger than their current penultimate place in the domestic championship would suggest, even after the break. After all, they have recently stabilized somewhat in the Premiership after an early change of coach. And: Things are going very well for the capital club in the Conference League so far.

But Conteh’s goal after just under an hour turned the match on its head. The winger scored from a sharp cross from Mathias Honsak. Young Paul Wanner almost added shortly after his substitution, but narrowly missed the goal (63rd). The Heidenheimers now defended more consistently and barely allowed their opponents to shoot. Instead, Joker finally explained everything clearly to Schöppner.

Europa League: Wild final phase at TSG Hoffenheim

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and their controversial coach Pellegrino Matarazzo also missed a sense of success in the Europa League. The 16th round of the Bundesliga During the fourth day against Olympique Lyonnais, after a hectic added time, the score was only 2-2 (0-0). Among all, it was the Frenchman Valentin Gendrey who took the advantage (47th minute) against the seven-time French (Site notre bureau spécialisé) champions in front of only 18,227 spectators in Sinsheim. But Abner Vinicus equalized (66th). Alexandre Lacazette (90+3) scored again for Lyon, Umut Tohumcu (90+5) scored very late for the final score.

Kraichgauer’s team can only boast of one victory and two draws. Matarazzo made three changes to his team from the 2-0 defeat against FC St. Pauli, including bringing U17 world champion Max Moerstedt into the starting XI. A new impetus was desperately needed, particularly in attack. TSG have recently gone goalless in three out of four matches in all competitions. In Lyon, former Bundesliga professionals Moussa Niakhaté (ex-Mainz 05) and Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich) as well as a few regular players only sat on the bench. In 2018, the two teams faced each other in the group stage of the Champions League – and drew 3: 3 and 2: 2.

Georges Mikautadze, one of Georgia’s heroes of the European Championship, surprised the Hoffenheim team after nine minutes when, completely free, he headed into the arms of national goalkeeper Oliver Baumann. With a direct shot from 14 meters, defense chief Anton Stach then missed an opportunity for the home team. They showed more initiative, notably thanks to veteran Andrej Kramaric and youngsters Tom Bischof and Umut Tohumcu. During a counterattack, Moerstedt was pushed back by Rémy Descamps after a pass from Kramaric. Shortly before the break, the Olympique goalkeeper shone on a shot from Kramaric.

In the second half, Hoffenheim initially showed more determination and picked up the pace against the sixth-ranked team in Ligue 1. Gendrey used a cross pass from Bischof to take the lead. Shortly after, Moerstedt had the chance to make it 2-0, but the ball flew past the post. Lyon coach Pierre Sage tried to turn the situation around with a quadruple substitution. Previously harmless guests increased the pressure. To equalize, Vinicius took advantage of a rebound in the penalty area. Alexandre Lacazette made the supposed turnaround in stoppage time, but Tohumcu had the definitive answer. A TSG success would have strengthened Matarazzo’s position, but the 46-year-old is under a lot of pressure again ahead of Sunday’s league match against FC Augsburg.