2. Bundesliga: Heidenheim leave it late to defeat ten-man Holstein Kiel | OneFootball

1. FC Heidenheim made it three consecutive 2. Bundesliga victories on Sunday afternoon as they edged past Holstein Kiel 1-0 at the Voith-Arena.

The hosts dominated after the break following Jonas Therkelsen’s dismissal but were made to wait until the 83rd minute for the breakthrough, when Jonas Föhrenbach headed home from a corner.

Kiel had enjoyed the better of the opening stages and created the first clear opportunity in the ninth minute. Ikem Ugoh weaved his way into the Heidenheim penalty area before firing from a tight angle, but Thomas Dähne reacted well to keep out the effort with his thigh.

Heidenheim struggled to create much in the opening half-hour as Kiel controlled possession, although the hosts gradually began to grow into the contest. Oualid Mhamdi appeared to have put Heidenheim ahead in the 32nd minute after being played through by Mathias Honsak, but his effort struck the post before the flag was raised for offside.

Michael Heule then forced Timon Weiner into action two minutes later, with the Kiel goalkeeper doing well to keep out his effort from a tight angle.

The hosts emerged from the interval with considerably more attacking intent and immediately threatened to take control. Frank Schmidt introduced Mikkel Kaufmann and Christian Conteh at the break, with the latter making an instant impact.

Conteh burst down the left before delivering a dangerous cross towards Alessandro Vogt, but the Heidenheim forward could not keep his header from six yards under control.

The pressure on Kiel increased further in the 50th minute when Therkelsen was shown a second yellow card. The Dane attempted to play the ball forward from a corner but failed to see Kaufmann approaching from behind, catching the Heidenheim substitute with a high boot in the process.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Kiel continued to defend resolutely and frustrate their hosts. Heidenheim, meanwhile, missed several opportunities to finally break the deadlock.

Conteh was at the heart of almost everything positive from the home side, setting up Marcel Costly after another impressive run in the 61st minute. Costly found himself one-on-one with Weiner but dragged his effort narrowly wide of the open left corner.

Conteh then went close himself six minutes later, firing a low effort from the edge of the box just past the right-hand post.

Weiner produced another outstanding save in the 71st minute, reacting brilliantly to keep out Kaufmann’s header from a corner. The Kiel goalkeeper initially appeared to have been caught out by the delivery but recovered quickly to make the save, before Kaufmann fired the rebound wide.

Kiel’s resistance finally ended seven minutes from time. A corner was delivered towards the far post and, after the ball was flicked on, Föhrenbach found himself unmarked and made no mistake with his header to give Heidenheim a deserved lead.

The visitors pushed for a late equaliser but could not find a way through. Phil Harres saw a late effort comfortably dealt with by Dähne, while 18-year-old debutant Till Wiese also tested the Heidenheim goalkeeper in the closing stages.

Harres came closest to rescuing a point in stoppage time, but his header from a dangerous cross failed to find the target.

Heidenheim held on to claim a third straight league victory and continue their strong start to life back in the 2. Bundesliga. Kiel, meanwhile, remain without a win after five matches and dropped to the bottom of the table following their latest defeat.