A brace from Vincent Vermeij (45./45.+1) and a counter-attacking goal from Christoph Daferner (81st) gave Dynamo Dresden their third home win of the season and temporarily lifted them out of the relegation places. The 3:1 (2:0) win over Darmstadt 98 was also the first success against a top team in the 2nd division, underpinning the upturn in fortunes after the winter break.
"I have to compliment the team for playing with determination after the sending-off and scoring the two goals," said Dynamo coach Thomas Stamm. They were happy with the three points.
Stamm had made two changes to the team compared to the 0-0 draw in Hanover. Jakob Lemmer replaced Jason Ceka in midfield, while Julian Pauli returned in defense for Friedrich Müller after recovering from a head injury.
Nearly no chances for either side
Both teams showed a lot of respect for each other. They withdrew almost completely when their opponents attacked and only rarely pressed energetically.
The Dresden side made a lot of easy mistakes. In the opening, balls were played into the feet of Darmstadt, even over short distances. Their attacks looked more structured. Isac Lidberg in the center of attack was always a trouble spot, but was well doubled.
The first chance of the game only came after 20 minutes, when Niklas Schmidt took an input directly, but failed to beat Tim Schreiber, who reacted well. The Dynamo goalkeeper was also alert to a Hiroki Akiyama attempt (38').
Red card changes everything
The hosts only became dangerous for the first time after just under half an hour. Robert Wagner tried his luck from 16 meters, but the ball missed the Darmstadt box. Wagner had another chance on 34 minutes. However, his overhead kick was too central on goal.
In the 45th minute, the lead was finally taken. Bobzien served a cross unchallenged onto the head of Vermeij, who scored with a header. And followed up a minute later. Niklas Hauptmann latched onto a deep ball and played it into the back of the visitors' defense, where Vermeij finished directly.
The double strike was the direct result of a red card, which Darmstadt defender Patric Pfeiffer (43) had quite rightly received after a foul on Bobzien as the last man - at least from Dresden's point of view. "He already hit me," said Bobzien.
Guest goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen railed against this: "The referee decided the game. That was never a red card." Dynamo coach Stamm could understand the displeasure: "I often miss a clear line with the referees," he said.
The numerical superiority did not last long, however. Jakob Lemmer (53) picked up two yellow cards within 60 seconds. That also resulted in a sending off. Darmstadt then became stronger again, while Dynamo reverted to the error-prone play of the opening phase. But: The defence stood firm despite some confused actions.
3:0 does not yet bring final security
It was only in the final quarter of an hour that they regained security, launched a few attacks to relieve pressure and were rewarded with the 3:0. The ball fell straight to Daferner's feet after a goalkeeper save following a Bobzien shot, the rest was a formality. "My shot was poor, it should normally have been on target," said the Mainz loanee.
After that, the game was decided, even if the 1:3 in the final minute caused Dynamo's pulse to rise once again, as Vermeij put it. In the end, it was luck and goalkeeper Schreiber who held on to the three-pointer.
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