Fortuna Düsseldorf opened the 24th round of the 2. Bundesliga with a 2-1 victory over VfL Bochum, while Dynamo Dresden secured a 3-1 win against SV Darmstadt 98.
At the Merkur‑Spiel‑Arena Düsseldorf got the early fire on the pitch. In the 45th minute, Cedric Itten headed in a right‑wide cross to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. After the break the home side stayed efficient; Florent Muslija added a distant, accurate shot into the bottom corner in the 57th minute, extending the advantage to 2-0. Bochum, however, refused to capitulate. Substituted forward Farid Alfa‑Ruprecht cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 79th minute after a pass from Oliver Olsen, sparking a tense final run. The visitors, despite several attacking changes, failed to find another goal.
In the Ruhr, the drama at the Rudolf‑Harbig‑Stadium swung the game in Dresden’s favour just before halftime. Vincent Vermeij opened the scoreline with a header in the 45th minute, and two minutes later he struck again from the centre of the box to make it 2-0. Darmstadt were reduced to ten men after a red card to Patric Pfeiffer, which increased the pressure on the visitors. Christoph Daferner capitalised on a rebound in the 81st minute, putting the hosts ahead 3-0. In the final minute-following a free‑kick set‑piece-Yosuke Furukawa pulled one back for Darmstadt to seal a 3-1 result. With the extra points, Dresden moves closer to safety, while Darmstadt misses a chance to keep the pressure on their rivals for promotion.