For the first time since May, Magdeburg has won a home game. Against Preußen Münster, patience, solid defense, and a penalty kick helped end the hours-long scoring drought.
Interim coach Petrik Sander led 1. FC Magdeburg to its first home win of the season.
Maximilian Breunig (75’/penalty kick) and Rayan Ghrieb (90’+2) scored the goals in the 2-0 victory over Preußen Münster. Although Magdeburg remains at the bottom of the table, it is now tied on points with Dynamo Dresden and VfL Bochum, and trails a non-relegation spot by two points.
“It’s not about whether I do something differently, but rather: We had a clear plan for how we wanted to approach this, and we stuck to it,” Sander said after the game. Goal scorer Breunig commented on the penalty kick: “We don’t have a designated penalty taker. I’d had a good feeling all day, and when the whistle blew, I knew I’d take the shot.”
The 64-year-old Sander, who—along with Pascal Ibold—is set to coach FCM from the sidelines in this Wednesday’s (6 p.m.) DFB Cup match against Bavarian Regionalliga club FV Illertissen, made no substitutions following the 0-0 draw in Darmstadt. Magdeburg struggled to control the game and scored early, but Atik’s goal (7th minute) was disallowed after a VAR review due to an offside call.
Münster controlled the game in a match with few chances
The visitors had more possession, but the game largely took place between the penalty areas. Münster’s Malik Batmaz (25th minute) was denied by the goalkeeper on a rare chance, as was Alexander Ahl-Holmström (35th minute) at the other end. After the break, FCM gradually became more active but always had to be wary of the visitors’ counterattacks.
Magdeburg lacked a clear offensive strategy, yet both sides continued to create scoring opportunities, though they ultimately lacked precision. A penalty kick finally helped the FCM end its scoring drought: Breunig scored after 524 minutes. Magdeburg was now definitively the better team and added to its lead in stoppage time through Ghrieb.
Interim Duo Continues to Make a Case
Three days before their cup match in Bavaria, the FCM secured their second league win, thereby regaining confidence. The interim duo of Sander and Ibold has now earned four points—one more than the hapless Markus Fiedler. It’s possible that the interim duo will become a permanent solution after all.
Münster coach Alexander Ende said after the game: “We played with a lot of courage and didn’t stray from our game plan or our convictions. As a group, we played a very good game, but we didn’t capitalize on the chances we had. Nevertheless, I have to compliment the team, which responded well in a unique situation.”
1. FC Magdeburg: Reimann – Hugonet (45. Hyryläinen), Mathisen, Müller – Ulrich (90. Pesch), Michel, Musonda, Nollenberger – Hercher (90. Ghrieb), Holmström (60. Breunig), Atik.
Preußen Münster: Schenk – ter Horst (79. Tasov), Paetow, Heuer, Kirkeskov (84. Schulz) – Preißinger (84. Koulis), Sertdemir (71. Makridis), Hendrix, Bouchama – Batmaz (84. Benjamins), Batista Meier.
Referee: Robert Kampka (Mainz)
Goals: 1-0 Breunig (75., penalty kick), 2-0 Ghrieb (90+2)
Yellow cards: Mathisen (4) – ter Horst (4), Paetow, Heuer (2), Hendrix (5)
Attendance: 23,002
