2. Bundesliga Topspiel: Darmstadt prevail in six-goal thriller | OneFootball

There was no prime-time let-down for Die Lilien this time, with a Fraser Hornby brace paving the way to victory, supported by goals from Isac Lidberg and Merveille Papela.

The hosts started with real intent, immediately putting Fürth’s back line under pressure and fully deserving their early opener. After just ten minutes, Sergio Lopez combined neatly with Killian Corredor, burst to the byline and cut the ball back for Hornby, who calmly swept his finish past Timo Schlieck from around twelve yards out. 

Fürth showed their first real spark around the 20-minute mark when a half-cleared ball dropped to Julian Green outside the box. His powerful strike seemed destined for the goal, only for Marcel Schuhen to tip it over with an excellent save.

The visitors grew into the game and eventually earned their reward around seven minutes before the break. Felix Klaus got goal-side of Kai Klefisch in the area, and the Darmstadt midfielder clipped him clumsily, leaving the referee with a simple decision to make. Noel Futkeu stepped up and powered the spot-kick into the bottom corner to send the sides in level at 1-1.

Fürth then stunned the home crowd seven minutes after the restart. Klaus was involved again, sliding a pass into Futkeu, who fired in via the inside of the post to complete the turnaround. But Fürth’s lead barely lasted five minutes. Chaos in the box following a corner ended with Hornby squaring for Lidberg, who tucked away his tenth goal of the season to restore parity.

Darmstadt’s momentum carried them forward, and they retook the lead in the 64th minute. Hornby drove through midfield and let fly from distance, his effort taking a deflection before nestling in the bottom corner to seal his brace. The hosts put the result beyond doubt just before the 80-minute mark when Marco Richter delivered a pinpoint corner for substitute Papela to head home his first of the season, making it 4-2.

An entertaining contest closed with a valuable victory for Darmstadt, who climb to third and extend their unbeaten home record. Fürth, meanwhile, slump to a fourth defeat in five and will be frustrated at letting a 2-1 lead slip, finishing the weekend in 15th place and just three points above the bottom three.