Matchday 13 in the 3rd division: MSV Duisburg back on top, racist insults overshadow 1860 victory, the Ulm and Havelse crises come to a head, crazy seven-goal game in Aue.

After a lackluster, scoreless draw at VfL Osnabrück, MSV Duisburg is back at the top of the table (see match report). This is because the previous leader, Energie Cottbus, lost ground in Munich against 1860. A double strike shortly before halftime by Thore Jacobsen, who first scored from the spot (39th minute) and then from a corner just before the halftime whistle (45th minute), gave the Lions a 2-0 lead.
However, the 1860 victory was overshadowed by a lengthy interruption in the second half. Racist insults were directed at Justin Butler, including monkey noises. The fan in question was banned from the stadium, and play was able to continue. The 3-0 score after an own goal by King Manu (82′) was therefore a minor matter.

While the top of the table remains tight, the gap between second-to-last TSV Havelse and safety is growing. At the Eilenriedestadion in Hanover, TSV once again came away empty-handed against SV Wehen Wiesbaden, losing 0-2 and recording their fifth defeat in a row. With only four points, hope is gradually fading for Havelse.

The situation at SSV Ulm is similarly grim. After a heavy 5-0 defeat at SC Verl, the relegated team was unable to make any headway against VfB Stuttgart’s second string. The joy over André Becker’s opening goal (19th minute) did not last long, as top talent Noah Darvich equalized before halftime (29th minute). Immediately after the restart, the Spatzen were given a rude awakening: Mansour Ouro-Tagba turned the game on its head within a few minutes (46th, 54th), securing a 3-1 win for VfB. FC Erzgebirge Aue took the lead twice (45+1, 54), and twice the visitors from SSV Jahn Regensburg managed to equalize (45+6, 60). Benedikt Bauer then scored to give the visitors from the Palatinate their first lead (68).

But this lead was not to last either. Shortly before the end, Jonah Fabisch scored the 3-3 equalizer for Aue (86′). And just when everyone thought the game would end in a draw, Erik Weinhauer stepped up and became the big hero in the Erzgebirge with his goal to make it 4-3 in the 90+5th minute. Ecstasy in Aue! The game was not restarted!

On Friday evening, Viktoria Cologne hosted FC Ingolstadt and, after a 3-1 home win, reestablished contact with the top group. The matchday will be completed on Sunday when Waldhof Mannheim visits TSG Hoffenheim II (1:30 p.m.). Rot-Weiss Essen welcomes bottom-of-the-table 1. FC Schweinfurt (4:30 p.m.), and Alemannia Aachen awaits crisis-stricken 1. FC Saarbrücken at Tivoli at 7:30 p.m.