2. Bundesliga: Second half penalty secures a point for Arminia | OneFootball

A cagey and tense relegation six-pointer ended all square, with Tim Handwerker’s second-half penalty for Arminia cancelling out Christoph Daferner’s first-half header in a contest where margins were slim throughout.

The hosts threatened to draw first blood just eight minutes in when Jason Ceka unleashed a fierce effort from ten yards, only for Jonas Kersken to produce an excellent fingertip save to keep the scores level. A cautious but evenly balanced affair followed, with both sides acutely aware of the high stakes at the foot of the table.

With chances at a premium, it felt fitting that the breakthrough arrived from a set piece. Jonas Sterner whipped in a dangerous delivery right on top of the goalkeeper, causing havoc in the Bielefeld box and allowing Christoph Daferner to nod home from close range. It marked the striker’s first start since early November and gave Dresden a 1-0 lead at the break.

Bielefeld emerged for the second half knowing a response was required, and Mitch Kniat will have been encouraged by the way his side began to impose themselves. Their pressure was rewarded in the 66th minute when substitute Thaddäus Momuluh was brought down by Alexander Rossipal inside the area. Tim Handwerker stepped up and coolly sent Tim Schreiber the wrong way to level the scores in this basement battle.

After the equaliser, the match descended into a scrappy midfield battle. Both defences stood firm, restricting the opposition to half chances and offering little in the final third. Dresden were reduced to ten men a minute into stoppage time when Robert Wagner picked up a needless second yellow card for kicking the ball away, though the late dismissal had little impact as the contest drifted towards a draw.

The result brings Dresden’s two-game winning run to an end but lifts them up to 16th place, ahead of Magdeburg. Arminia make it back-to-back draws and finish the weekend in 14th.