"Must win in Fürth": Magdeburg under pressure in the basement

The Magdeburg team had imagined a different start to the year. A commanding 3-0 win at Eintracht Braunschweig was followed by two defeats in which second-division club 1. FC Magdeburg fell back into patterns they thought they had overcome. It was therefore no surprise that the words "unclever" and "stupid" were used in the mixed zone following the 2-1 defeat to Hannover 96.

At 0:1, FCM were short-handed due to a treatment break, but still took risks going forward and allowed themselves to be caught out at the end. "That was simply unclever. Maybe I just let the ball run around the back until I could be waved in again by the referee," analyzed defender Tobias Müller. The 31-year-old had to be treated off the pitch for a bleeding lip. "That was simply stupid of us," agreed Marcus Mathisen with his partner in central defense.

Magdeburg fought back after the break and equalized, but then conceded the next goal within two minutes. "The crux of the matter is the quick fall of 1-2, when you're on the moral high ground with the equalizer and therefore have to manage more," said coach Petrik Sander. Instead of managing, the second half was then "a bit wild" (Mathisen), with neither team gaining control of the game but still having chances to score, the best of which from Magdeburg's point of view was Mathisen hitting the crossbar.

With just one point ahead of bottom club Greuther Fürth - the Elbe club's next opponents - FCM absolutely must pick up three points next Friday (18:30, Sky) to avoid slipping further down the table. Mathisen was optimistic: "If you watched the game today and last week, we're on the right track and often play very good soccer."

However, Magdeburg must put an end to the unnecessary slip-ups before the game in Franconia, as Mathisen also knows: "We have to win in Fürth." Otherwise, the FCM could be back in the red lantern.