2. Bundesliga Saturday Konferenz round-up | OneFootball

Hannover and Düsseldorf claimed important wins, while Schalke were forced to settle for a goalless draw against ten-man Münster.

SC Paderborn 0-2 Hannover 96

In a highly anticipated top-of-the-table clash, Hannover struck first after just 20 minutes. A long ball over the top held up perfectly for Benjamin Källman to run onto, and with Paderborn keeper Denis Seimen charging into no man’s land, the striker nudged it past him before finishing from a tight angle to give the visitors the lead.

Hannover looked dangerous every time they surged forward and doubled their advantage 15 minutes later through the in-form Källman again. Daisuke Yokota’s cross was only half cleared, allowing Noel Aseko Nkili to steer the ball back into the danger zone where Källman was waiting to gleefully tap in his eighth goal of the season. Paderborn went into the break visibly shell-shocked and 2-0 down.

Paderborn emerged with more intent after half-time, no doubt after some stern words from Ralf Kettemann, but they still couldn’t break down Hannover’s stubborn defensive shape. The visitors managed the game superbly, sitting deep, denying space, and evading almost every press when they broke forward.

Hannover remained the more threatening side and could have sealed the win earlier, but Christian Titz will be delighted with the performance and the result, which lifts his team up to third for the moment. For Paderborn, it’s a first defeat in nine and the first time they’ve failed to score at home in more than a year, though they stay top thanks to results elsewhere.

Preußen Münster 0-0 Schalke 04

The game began at a frantic pace, with both goalkeepers called into action early. Münster thought they had taken the lead after ten minutes when Oscar Vilhelmsson scored, but VAR intervened to rule it out for offside in the build-up. The hosts kept pushing, dominating the ball, but struggled to unpick the league’s strongest defence.

The best chances continued to fall to Münster. Vilhelmsson went close when he headed just wide from a brilliant Jano ter Horst cross, and moments later a goalmouth scramble somehow stayed out as Schalke eventually hacked the ball clear to keep the score level at the break.

Just before the hour, the match turned on a potentially decisive moment when Münster were reduced to ten. Keeper Johannes Schenk raced out to a loose ball but wiped out Moussa Sylla, leaving the referee with little choice but to show a red card and put the hosts under serious pressure.

To their credit, Münster defended bravely and refused to simply sit back, continuing to push up the pitch whenever possible. Schalke never made the extra man count, looking flat and short of ideas against the green wall in front of them. Their best opportunity fell to Kenan Karaman at the back post from a deep cross, but substitute keeper Morton Behrens produced a superb fingertip save to keep the scores level.

A draw ultimately felt fair, with Münster likely the more satisfied after surviving much of the second half a man down to extend their unbeaten home run to four matches. Schalke will view it as an off day, failing to take advantage of Paderborn’s defeat and remaining in second, now a point off top spot.

Fortuna Düsseldorf 2-1 FC Magdeburg

Düsseldorf began the game content to sit in and hit on the counter while allowing Magdeburg to have the ball, inviting the league’s worst attack to try and break them down. The first real chance, though, fell to the hosts when Florent Muslija’s cutback deflected kindly for Emmanuel Iyoha, who fired over with the goal at his mercy.

The breakthrough came in the 37th minute after some passive defending from Magdeburg. Muslija was given far too much time out wide and whipped in a teasing delivery that found Cedric Itten lurking unmarked at the back post to tap in the opener.

Düsseldorf emerged from the break looking the sharper side, repeatedly testing the Magdeburg defence. Muslija and Christian Rasmussen both went close, but Dominik Reimann kept his team in the game with two excellent saves.

Magdeburg lacked bite all afternoon but snatched an unlikely equaliser in the 88th minute when Philipp Hercher’s low cross took a heavy deflection off Christopher Lenz and wrong-footed Florian Kastenmeier, sparking wild celebrations among the travelling fans.

But Düsseldorf weren’t done. With the very last attack of the game in the 95th minute, a hopeful long ball was only half cleared and dropped to Danny Schmidt out wide. He whipped in a superb cross for Itten, who powered a header past Reimann to snatch all three points and break Magdeburg hearts.

It’s a massive win for Düsseldorf and their first under Markus Anfang, a result that should inject confidence and momentum after such dramatic late drama. Magdeburg, meanwhile, suffer their third straight defeat and remain rooted to the bottom of the table.