Setback in Kiel: A lackluster Dynamo loses again

Dynamo Dresden remains a welcome guest at opposing stadiums. Even against Holstein Kiel, which had been at the bottom of the standings, the team failed to secure its first road win of the season. Worse still: The 0–3 (0–1) loss sent coach Thomas Stamm’s team slipping to 15th place. The Saxons were too harmless on offense to earn any points. Even a penalty kick by Niklas Hauptmann (63’) failed to find the back of the net.

“That was a poor shot. We could have equalized; I could have scored it. We controlled the second half and had plenty of chances, even without the penalty. And then we end up losing 0–3 here,” Hauptmann said self-critically.

Same Dynamo Team, but Worse Than Against Magdeburg

Stamm had sent the same team onto the field that had defeated 1. FC Magdeburg 2–0 a week earlier. What had worked in that game didn’t work in Kiel. They failed to capitalize on the high press and ball recoveries.

Dynamo’s passing was simply too sloppy; technical errors repeatedly put the Saxons on the back foot. As a result, real scoring chances were rare. Vincent Vermeij kept trying his luck from distance, but kept missing the target. Just like in the ninth minute. The goal kick led to a counterattack in which the entire Dynamo defense looked shaky. Kvilitaia was able to run unchallenged toward the goal and beat Lennart Grill with a hard, low shot traveling at 124 kilometers per hour.

Although Dynamo had 60 percent possession, the hosts were the ones closer to scoring. When former Dresden player Phil Harres headed the ball in the 33rd minute, the KSV fans were on the verge of celebrating a goal, but the post came to Dresden’s rescue. Earlier, Adrian Kapralik (27th minute) had a 100-percent chance, but he missed the ball entirely.

Lack of Efficiency After the Break

Dynamo came out of the break with more courage going forward. Most of the crosses and passes, however, remained too imprecise, allowing Kiel to defend relatively easily. Nevertheless, the Saxons now had more chances. In the 55th minute, Hauptmann ran onto a cross from Jonas Sterner, but Timon Weiner in goal made a save with his foot. And he also came out on top in his second duel with Hauptmann: The Dynamo captain took the penalty kick awarded for a foul on Ben Bobzien practically from a standing position, shooting it rather aimlessly into the corner—but Weiner was already positioned there.

After that play, Kiel was back on top, while Dresden found themselves increasingly on the defensive. And, as with the 0–1 goal, they lacked defensive coordination in several situations. As a result, Jonas Therkelsen (73'), who had come on as a substitute just 27 seconds earlier, was able to make it 2–0 with a shot that was deflected by Nikolai Rapp, before Harre’s (86') not only made Grill look bad with a header but also sealed the deal.