Magdeburg miss out on a 1:1 win in Fürth

1. FC Magdeburg suffered a setback in the race for promotion to the Bundesliga. In front of 12,030 spectators at SpVgg Greuther Fürth, the second division club could not get past 1:1 (1:1). Magdeburg's Baris Atik (20') equalized Noel Futkeu's opening goal (17'). FCM slipped out of the promotion places in the table.

"It feels more like two points lost. We had one or two chances that we didn't finish," said Atik on Sky. Looking ahead to the upcoming games against Hamburg, Hannover and Kaiserslautern, the creative mind emphasized: "We have to keep thinking from game to game. Our thoughts are definitely not on matchday 34."

FCM coach Christian Titz had to make massive changes to his starting XI. Patric Pfeiffer and Tobias Müller replaced the suspended Marcus Mathisen (10th yellow card) and the injured Jean Hugonet in the back three. Abu-Bekir El-Zein replaced Mohammed El Hankouri in midfield and Atik returned to the starting eleven after serving his suspension.

The match began on an even keel, with both teams trying to gain security by controlling the ball. Magdeburg's Martijn Kaars had the first chance to score, but failed to reach a rebound in time (6th minute).

Quick Magdeburg equalizer

The FCM then gained more of the play and the hosts pulled back a little. Magdeburg did get into the penalty area more often, but failed to finish - the hosts managed to do so and took the lead after a pin-pass. However, Titz's team equalized immediately: El-Zein chipped the ball to Atik, who scored with a flick. Nothing more happened until the break in what was then a rather tough game.

Magdeburg looked more active after the break, but rarely created any dangerous situations. The hosts were compact, and FCM were also guilty of slight inaccuracies. Magdeburg's defense, on the other hand, stood firm for the most part, with Simon Asta's 57th-minute finish being one of Fürth's rare attacking actions.

Magdeburg's lack of ideas

Magdeburg's offensive pressure continued to increase, but the attempts mostly ended in corner kicks, from which FCM created far too little danger. Coach Titz brought in Xavier Amaechi and Philipp Hercher on the wing, who revitalized the attacking play somewhat.

The hosts continued to restrict themselves to defending and lurking on the counter, but at least pushed their pressing line further forward. Magdeburg's Kaars had the best chance to take the lead, but his ball went well over the goal (82nd).