Things are going well for FC Ingolstadt at the moment: 1. FC Saarbrücken, previously third in the table, leaves the Audi city without any points, and there is clarity in goal.
FC Ingolstadt continues to recover in the 3rd division: The 2-1 win against 1. FC Saarbrücken marks the third win in a row and is currently synonymous with tenth place.
Dennis Kaygin put FC Ingolstadt ahead in the 24th minute before Kai Brünker equalized in the 55th minute. However, Saarbrücken had no answer to Yann Sturm’s winning goal in the 86th minute.
“That was a really, really good first half. The third-placed team didn’t have a single shot on our goal! We knew the danger that Saarbrücken doesn’t need many chances. All in all, it was a well-deserved victory – I was impressed. We’re on a roll right now. No matter who comes in, they don’t complain. They perform! We have 17 new players, so it took a little while. We’ve stayed true to ourselves! But we can’t celebrate too soon,“ Ingolstadt coach Sabrina Wittmann told ”Magenta Sport.“
And there was even more reason to celebrate. Regular and currently injured goalkeeper Markus Ponath has extended his contract with the ”Schanzern.”
“I am incredibly grateful for the trust placed in me by the sporting management, the coaching team, and my teammates. I want to repay that trust with my performance on the pitch. Extending my contract with FC Ingolstadt 04 is exactly the right move for me – everything just fits together here. I grew up in Hallertau and love the region and the club. I have been a Schanzer since 2012 – with a short break – and there is nothing greater for me than being the number one in the professional team at the club I grew up with and love. I dreamed of this even as a little boy. A huge thank you goes to my family, my girlfriend, and my friends, who always support me – even in phases like now, when my broken metacarpal is temporarily slowing me down. I’m really happy to be able to continue playing in black and red,” he said. The 24-year-old keeper has been part of Ingolstadt since 2012, when he moved from FSV Pfaffenhofen to the U12 team of the Danube city’s youth academy. He finally made his professional debut on May 15, 2022, when he played in goal for the first time in the 2nd Bundesliga against Hannover 96.
Until June 2024, the panther adorned the chest of the right-footed player, who left FCI for FV Illertissen last early summer. The Dachau native made 33 league appearances for the regional league club in the 2024/25 season, as well as three appearances in the Bavarian State Cup, which he lifted with the Blue and Whites in the same season. After a one-year loan spell, the goalkeeper returned to his home club, where he has since played in nine third division matches. He is currently sidelined with a broken metacarpal.