Second division autumn champions SV Darmstadt have suffered a setback at the end of the first half of the season.

In the last game before the long winter break, coach Torsten Lieberknecht’s team could not get beyond a 1-1 (1-1) draw against SpVgg Greuther Fürth on Sunday despite a long period of superiority after Gideon Jung was sent off (48th). This reduced the gap between the leaders and second-placed Hamburger SV to two points.

The North Germans’ joy at their 4:2 (1:0) win over SV Sandhausen the day before, however, was marred by the positive doping test of defender Mario Vuskovic and concerns about possible legal consequences.

1. FC Heidenheim continues to be one of the promotion contenders. After the 5:4 (3:2) spectacle over Jahn Regensburg with two goals in injury time alone, coach Frank Schmidt’s team is only one point behind HSV in the relegation places. The 4:4 draw between Karlsruher SC and FC St. Pauli was similarly exciting.

Sunday’s games, on the other hand, were less scoreless. Unlike Darmstadt, Bielefeld and Nuremberg celebrated victories. Last-placed Bielefeld moved up to 16th after a 3-1 (1-0) win over Magdeburg, while new 11th-placed FC Nuremberg moved up even further with a 2-1 (1-0) win over SC Paderborn.