MSV Duisburg won at SV Wehen Wiesbaden on Friday evening. Coach and captain were relieved.

Before MSV Duisburg’s away match at SV Wehen Wiesbaden, Torsten Ziegner had demanded physicality from his team. And lo and behold, the Zebras delivered (3:1).

However, not for the entire match. “We had a hard time getting into the game for the first 20 minutes, we allowed one or two situations to happen, and it was precisely because of these issues,” Ziegner told Magenta, explaining: “Because we weren’t strong enough in the duel to pick up Wiesbaden’s long balls.” It was only afterwards that his team got to grips with that, he said. “Then it was open overall. The second half was excellent,” emphasised the MSV coach.

In order for the three points to come out in the end, however, something was needed that MSV Duisburg had lost in recent weeks. In the 50th minute, Moritz Stoppelkamp entered the penalty area on the right and played the ball flat into the middle. Wiesbaden’s Bjarke Jacobsen tried to clear the ball but hit goalkeeper Lyska, who deflected the ball into his own goal. “It had to be a goal like that today, a can opener like that,” Stoppelkamp said. “We more or less forced it. We threw everything in and had a bit of match luck with that scene.”

The other goals – Kolja Pusch threw himself recklessly into a header after his own crossbar goal and Stoppelkamp scored from a mix of cross and long-range shot – were also the result of will and a pinch of fortune.

“We worked for that,” said Stoppelkamp, who stressed with a mischievous grin that his goal was deliberate. “It doesn’t matter. Because that went against us in the last few weeks. We didn’t score many points, but we were often on a par. Little things have been missing, then also the broad chest. Of course, there were also bad games. “

Friday’s game was a good one and only the second win since August. The liberation blow for MSV Duisburg? “Yes, you can say that,” replied Stoppelkamp. “We had a long dry spell. Last week was already a decent game. Now we also acted well with the ball, even if we are not where we want to be for a long time. We fought for and deserved the three points.”

Just as Ziegner had wanted it.