Fortuna’s curse broken: point in Düsseldorf

The initial phase in the first game after the winter break was quite uneventful. Both Düsseldorf and Darmstadt had around 50 percent possession of the ball, but initially there were hardly any shots on either side. After a quarter of an hour it almost became dangerous when Luca Marseiler was able to intercept a Düsseldorf pass, but the last pass was too imprecise and so the chance was wasted.

After 20 minutes, Fraser Hornby had the first really good opportunity, but was denied by keeper Kastenmeier. Despite no flag infield, it would have been chalked off by VAR. In the following minutes, the guests from southern Hesse gained slight advantages, but there was hardly any danger at all.

Ten minutes before the half-time whistle, Killian Corredor weaved his way into the area and tried to bear Kastenmeier at the near post but he pulled it narrowly wide. A short time later, Fortuna took advantage of their first good chance: after a good combination, van Brederode made it 1-0 for the home team in the 41st minute as he curled home a low shot. In stoppage time, the Lilies entered the penalty area twice more, but twice Corredor’s shots didn’t find their way into the goal. So Düsseldorf went into the locker room with a happy lead.

After the break, Marcel Schuhen saved the Lilies from falling behind twice: first in the 47th minute, he deflected a shot from Kwarteng just around the post. Five minutes later, he blocked an effort from Haag that was destined for the corner.
However, the goalkeeper was powerless in the 60th minute when Haag met the ball sweetly and it flew into the net.

After the bad start to the second half, the Darmstadt team needed a boost, which come from the penalty spot. After a long ball, Marseiler was impeded in the area and Corredor sent Kastenmeier the wrong way on 69 minutes. Just three minutes later, parity was restored. A deep corner was nodded back across goal by Aleksandar Vukotic and Corredor was there again to head home.

Both teams had a chance to win the game in the time that remained. Philipp Förster came went on a strong run to the edge of the penalty area but then shot over the top with 9 minutes left on the clock. At the other end, Pejcinovic hit the outside post with a header in the 87th minute. Despite five minutes of added time, there was no further chances and both sides had to settle for a point.