As the 20th matchday of the 2. Bundesliga came to a close, Hamburger SV missed the opportunity to reclaim the top spot in the table with a 2-2 draw against Hannover 96.
The Rothosen took an early lead in the 15th minute through Silvan Hefti’s goal and despite not being able to capitalize on their initial dominance, they managed to hold on until the halftime break. Hannover, however, gained momentum in the second half, with Nicolo Tresoldi’s equalizing goal in the 53rd minute marking a turning point in the match. The visitors continued to push for a winner and in the 79th minute, Rabbi Matondo, a winter signing, scored the go-ahead goal. Hamburger SV responded quickly, with Jean-Luc Dompé’s direct free-kick in the 84th minute tying the score once more. The match ultimately ended in a draw, with the final score standing at 2-2.
The result sees Hamburger SV remain in second place, two points behind leaders 1. FC Köln, while Magdeburg and Kaiserslautern are tied for third, three points behind the top two. Hannover, meanwhile, remains in sixth place, three points behind the top three. The Hamburger SV will look to bounce back in their next match, a trip to Münster on Friday, while Hannover will face Düsseldorf in their next fixture, scheduled for the following Sunday. The results of the other matches played on Sunday were 1. FC Kaiserslautern’s 2-1 win over Preußen Münster and SpVgg Greuther Fürth’s 2-1 victory over SC Paderborn 07.