SVWW narrow defeat to Champions in season finale
Pros |
SV Wehen Wiesbaden earned a point in a frenetic final few minutes away to Hannover 96. The 22,400 spectators at the HDI Arena saw Stefan Aigner fire SVWW into the lead (37). Goals from Genki Haraguchi (81) and Cedric Teuchert (86) turned the game around for the hosts, only for Benedikt Röcker to rescue the visitors a late point (90).
Head coach Rüdiger Rehm was forced to make one change to the starting XI that recorded a home win over Erzgebirge Aue last time out. The fit-again Moritz Kuhn replaced captain Sebastian Mrowca, who was suspended after being sent off in midweek.
Both teams made a cautious start to the match. Hannover had slightly more possession, though never truly threatened the opposition goal in the early stages.
In fact, the game was 13 minutes old by the time the 96ers created their first promising opportunity. From inside the box, Genki Haraguchi picked out Julian Korb but his cross was intercepted by Benedikt Röcker before it could reach Marvin Ducksch.
The visitors – who had assistant coach Mike Krannich giving instructions in the dugout in the absence of the suspended Rehm – looked for quick counter-attacking opportunities going forward. On the 15-minute mark, Manuel Schäffler dispossessed Hannover defender Felipe but keeper Ron-Robert Zieler was quick off his line and denied the usually so clinical forward a goal.
The vast majority of the match was taking place in midfield as both teams sought to neutralise the attacking efforts of their opponents. As such, it was not until the 31st minute that Marc Stendera went clean through on Lindner, who again proved his reliability between the sticks.
By now, SVWW were establishing a growing foothold in the game. In the 37th minute, Maximilian Dittgen attacked down the left flank and tested Zieler with a well-hit shot from the edge of the area that earned his side a corner. SVWW had demonstrated their threat from set-pieces in their midweek clash with Aue – and there was further proof on show today, as Daniel-Kofi Kyereh picked out Stefan Aigner at the back post with a well-taken kick that was slotted home by the forward from close range. 1-0!
Having been on the back foot, Hannover immediately threatened to restore parity when Felipe went close with an excellent opportunity directly before the interval. But the Brazilian's shot from eight metres out following a 45th-minute corner narrowly missed the target, and it stayed 1-0 until the break.
The Red & Blacks made one change – Jeremias Lorch replaced Kuhn – ahead of the second period, which the home side began on the front foot. And it was they who had the first chance of the half in the 53rd minute when the ball landed at the feet of Haraguchi following a failed clearance, but his effort sailed past the post of the visitor's goal.
Hannover continued to pose a threat as they made up for their lack of chances in the first half. In the 58th minute, James Horn met a Dominik Kaiser corner with a header that rebounded off the woodwork – the best chance the 96ers had created.
The match dropped off a bit in the period that followed with almost no moments of note in the subsequent quarter of an hour. SVWW defended fervently, while Hannover tried to apply pressure. But it was only with 20 minutes to go that the 96ers began to look more convincing going forward.
One wave of attack after another rained down on the SVWW goal, but a combination of inaccurate passing from their opponents and last-minute defensive blocks enabled the Red & Blacks to keep their noses in front.
But with Hannover's thoughts increasingly preoccupied by attack, spaces began to open up for SVWW going forward. Schwede was denied at the last second by a defensive block from a Hannover player, then his shot from the ensuing corner was clawed off the line by Elez. That was almost 2-0 (79).
But the breakthrough did eventually come for Hannover in the 81st minute. Haraguchi picked up the ball on the left flank and cut inside before firing a shot inside the near post from 18 metres out to make it 1-1.
Suddenly, both teams were going for it. The Red & Blacks were not prepared to settle for a soilitary point and had a chance to re-establish their lead on the 86-minute mark when substitute Gökhan Gül went close to scoring with a header.
They were caught out only a minute later, however, when Linton Maina did well to break through down the right flank and picked out Cedric Teuchert in the centre, who made it 2-1 to the hosts.
Was it the final act of frenetic finish? By no means. SVWW showed excellent spirit and were rewarded in the final seconds of normal time when they deservedly restored parity following a corner kick. Zieler and the Hannover defence failed to properly clear the loose ball from the box and Benedikt Röcker slotted home SVWW's second goal of the day at the second attempt. It was the final moment of danger in what was an exciting second period, which ultimately ended with the visitors taking home a deserved point.
SVWW: Lindner – Kuhn (Lorch, 46), Mockenhaupt, Dams, Röcker, Schwede –Chato – Aigner (Shipnoski, 71), Kyereh (Gül, 81), Dittgen – Schäffler.