2. Bundesliga: Nürnberg prevail against Kiel in five-goal thriller | OneFootball

Following an enthralling first half that saw Kiel recover from a two-goal deficit, Mohamed Ali Zoma’s second-half strike ultimately proved decisive as Miroslav Klose’s side secured all three points.

Kiel fashioned the first clear opportunity of the match after a mistake from Adam Markhiev gifted Adrian Kapralik a one-on-one with Jan Reichert. However, the Slovak winger was unable to capitalise as the Nürnberg goalkeeper came out on top.

Just before the 15-minute mark Nürnberg made Kiel pay for that missed chance as Julian Justvan grabbed the opener. Zoma surged down the right flank and into the area before pulling the ball back for Justvan, who calmly finished from close range.

Eight minutes later Justvan struck again. This time the move developed down the left, where Rafael Lubach delivered a delightful cross into the box. Waiting once more was Justvan, who controlled superbly before finishing past the helpless Timon Weiner to make it 2-0.

Just before the half-hour mark Kapralik made amends for his earlier miss by pulling Kiel back into the contest. A cross from the left was met by Alexander Bernhardsson, who rose highest to cushion the ball into Kapralik’s path, allowing the winger to tap home from close range.

Following a lengthy stoppage, Kiel completed the comeback eight minutes into added time to cap a breathless first half. Bernhardsson was involved again, delivering a pinpoint cross onto the head of Kasper Davidsen, who nodded home to make it 2-2 at the break.

The tempo dropped somewhat after the interval, with clear-cut chances harder to come by following the electric opening 45 minutes. Bernhardsson had Kiel’s best opportunity of the early second half but was denied from close range by Reichert.

With 18 minutes remaining Nürnberg regained the lead. A swift counter-attack eventually found Zoma, who cut inside from the left before unleashing a fierce effort that took a deflection on its way past Weiner, sending the travelling supporters into raptures.

Kiel pushed for another equaliser late on, and their best chance arrived six minutes from time when Steven Skrzybski found space inside the area. However, the forward could only blaze over from close range as Nürnberg held firm to secure a vital 3-2 victory.

The win ends a three-match winless run for Nürnberg and lifts them into ninth place for the time being. For Kiel, it was another damaging defeat, with Tim Walter still searching for his first win since taking charge as the hosts remain in 17th place.