1. FC Magdeburg lost contact with the non-relegation places in the 2nd Bundesliga. In Düsseldorf, a too harmless FCM lost 1:2 (0:1). Cedric Itten (37th, 90.+5) scored for Düsseldorf, an own goal by Christopher Lenz (88th) provided the short-lived equalizer. Magdeburg are bottom of the table and six points behind the non-relegation places.
"There's no point in beating up on the boys now, but there's also no point in giving everyone a big hug and saying we're playing great soccer. This is a results sport and we don't deliver the results," said FCM coach Petrik Sander, adding: "We also have a responsibility to the region, to the club and to those in the stands."
Somewhat surprisingly, Sander started Mateusz Zukowski in attack and Tobias Müller also returned to central defense after his injury in Bochum. There was no organized support in the first twelve minutes as a sign of protest and Fortuna missed out on an early lead through Christian Rasmussen (4th).
Medical emergency - fans stop supporting
Because of a medical emergency in the stadium, both fan camps also stopped supporting after the first twelve minutes. On the pitch, Magdeburg remained dominant but harmless. Fortuna were even less dangerous at the other end, but Itten (37') gave them the lead, even though FCM complained about a foul on Baris Atik in the build-up.
Magdeburg came out of the locker room with momentum, now determinedly looking for the finish, but Düsseldorf always managed to get a leg or goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier in between. FCM remained the more active team and were finally rewarded: Lenz deflected a ball from Philipp Hercher into his own goal (88'). However, Itten's second goal in stoppage time dashed any hopes of securing a point.
1. FC Magdeburg must develop a new plan to stay in the league. The crisis is not down to the commitment of the players. But offensively and defensively, the Elbe city team is not competitive as it is.
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