Alemannia Aachen is still struggling to make headway under its new coach, though at least it managed to avoid another loss against the second-to-last-place team.
Alemannia Aachen has lost three of its last four matches in the 3. Liga. As a result, the team led by new coach Mersad Selimbegović was under pressure against second-to-last TSV Havelse.
A win was essential to keep Aachen out of a relegation spot going into the winter break. With the 1-1 draw in Havelse, those three points slipped away, and the team nearly suffered another defeat.
Aachen started strongly and had a great chance to take the lead after just two minutes. But Mika Schroers failed to convert when one-on-one with TSV goalkeeper Tom Opitz. Although Havelse also had a chance (12th minute), Aachen was the better side and missed another opportunity to take the lead in the 21st minute.
The hosts improved as the game went on and thus deserved the 0-0 score at halftime. After the break, Aachen went for the win, while Havelse looked to counterattack. Alemannia’s striker Lars Gindorf nearly broke through the home side’s defense, but he was narrowly offside when he scored.
In the 73rd minute, it was Aachen’s Pierre Nadjombe who had a chance to take the lead. But he, too, was denied by Opitz—the score remained 0-0. The game had saved the most exciting moments for the closing stages.
In the 86th minute, it was Marko Ilic who scored a dream goal for Havelse. Was Aachen shocked? Not at all. Just one minute later, it was Alemannia substitute Kwasi Wriedt who equalized immediately after a pass from Gindorf.
That’s how it stayed, and the result doesn’t really help anyone. Aachen remains in a relegation spot, and Havelse, after picking up three points in Schweinfurt, failed to close the gap to a non-relegation spot. TSV heads into the break with a nine-point deficit to make up.
After the winter break, Havelse will face TSG Hoffenheim’s U23 team on Sunday (January 18, 7:30 p.m.). Aachen will kick off the second half of the season at home against VfL Osnabrück on Saturday (January 17, 4:30 p.m.).
