The new Dynamo: strong at the back, effective with standards

This emotional outburst had previously only been seen from Thomas Stamm during promotion. The Swiss coach of second-division soccer club Dynamo Dresden clenched his fists after the 2:1 win in the Elbe Clásico at 1. FC Magdeburg and shouted out a long "yes" before throwing his arms around the necks of his staff members. The relief at their second win at the start of the second half of the season was clear to see and feel from all sides.

The players jumped and sang along with the fans like little children - still in their sweaty kit despite the bitter cold. After the goals from Kofi Amoako (34), who became Dresden's 100th second division goalscorer, and Thomas Keller (45+3), the team are still 19th in the relegation zone, but are only one point behind a non-relegation place and three points off eleventh. A nice snapshot, but nothing more.

New additions give the team a new face

Nevertheless, Dynamo's upward trend cannot be overlooked. The Bundesliga-experienced winter additions give the team a different look, and they also inspire the established team members. "We've brought in guys who can do us a lot of good," said Stamm on the Sky microphone, referring to more than just defensive boss Keller, who has provided much more composure at the back and scored for the second time in his second Dynamo game.

The fact that the new players cannot be flawless was demonstrated when Mateusz Zukowski made it 0:1. An endlessly long cross from the side was missed by Jonas Sterner, allowing Baris Atik to serve the goalscorer perfectly without any resistance. "I'm self-critical about that. I've had something like that several times in my career, normally I just sort it out," said the right-back, who has temporarily returned to Dresden from Hannover 96, and praised the team: "It's a credit to the team that they got me out of there and we were able to celebrate a derby win."

Dynamo now also dangerous with set-pieces

The new Dynamo are not only identified by a solid, united defence. Dresden in 2026 is also a consistent user of set-pieces, which are also hit into the opposition penalty area in a variety of ways and then converted relatively effectively.

In addition, the team is always dangerous through the ball-savvy Niklas Hauptmann and Jason Ceka during transitional moments, although there is still room for improvement in terms of effectiveness. "We know that, but we've always emphasized that we can also be dangerous in those areas, as we were today," said Stamm.

Keller: You have to be able to suffer

Football-wise, the performance in the second half was no treat. "You have to be able to suffer in soccer and we suffered for the last ten minutes," said Keller, who had been called up as a striker in his youth before "it went further and further backwards."

The team will have to step up their game against Arminia Bielefeld - their closest neighbors in the table - on Sunday to keep the euphoria simmering. They have to repeat what they showed in Magdeburg. "Maybe play a bit better soccer than today," said Keller.