“Spatzen” narrowly miss first points

SSV Ulm has passed the 8,500-day mark since its last victory in the 2nd Bundesliga. For a long time, the match against Fortuna Düsseldorf on Sunday afternoon at the Donaustadion looked like it would be a historic event. The game on the 3rd matchday seemed to be going just the way the Sparrows wanted it to – before the guests turned up the heat late and turned the match around with a double strike (82nd/83rd) within a minute. Ulm fought, but lost. Head coach Thomas Wörle said of the 1:2 (1:0) defeat: “It’s a very bitter day for us today.”

Ulm is somewhere between patience and persistence in the lower house of the Bundesliga, only luck is eluding them. Bitter moments and ultimately three lost games in which more could have been achieved are the result to date. They paid the price again against Fortuna. It hurts to concede a goal from a harmless situation. Ulm already knows the feeling. With “maximum motivation” against one of “the hottest candidates for promotion”, as Wörle emphasised, they went into the match full of anticipation. The two virtues almost made the difference for Ulm. But only almost. So it was the patience of the Düsseldorf team that secured their second win of the season.

With much more variable attack, Ulm took control of the game against Düsseldorf from the start. The reward came shortly before the half-time whistle. Max Brandt, who had been inconspicuous up to that point, took the ball twice with his chest before teammate Philipp Strompf reacted quickly. He rushed towards him, but was hit by the high leg of Düsseldorf’s Emmanuel Iyhoha. Referee Eric Weisbach pointed to the spot. It was not to be the last penalty whistle of the day. Ulm’s striker Felix Higl (42′) converted precisely just before the break.

The trainer’s instructions implemented

The home team gained a lot of possession and created opportunities. Spatzen coach Wörle recently publicly demanded this – his team clearly took his speeches to heart. Ulm tried several times with the strong Lennart Stoll down the right wing and through the center, as well as on a solo basis (Keller, 27th and Krattenmacher, 66th). From 1846’s point of view, goalkeeper Christian Ortag must be celebrated as the real hero of the first half. After his slight concussion in the cup match against Bayern, it was initially unclear whether he would even be fit in time. He got fit. And presented himself in top form: After Düsseldorf had made the game fast, Dawid Kownacki (24th) was served from close range. He was the only one to fail against the rushing Ortag. Three minutes later, the 29-year-old shone again against Kownacki, who this time tried a bounce shot.

The high intensity of the many time battles in both halves was evident for Ulm on and off the pitch. The bench was again cautioned for complaining. The atmosphere was already running high in the 20th minute when the ball hit the arm of both players in a duel between Felix Klaus and Romario Rösch and Ulm demanded a penalty. It was also hectic after the restart, with fouls dominating the game. Düsseldorf struggled to make an impact for a long time. When they went forward, however, it quickly became extremely dangerous. For example, when Klaus (70th) unleashed a shot from a half-left position. Luckily for the Sparrows, the ball hit the post first on the left and then on the right.

The Jokers shock the hosts

Finally, the hosts were shocked: the two substitutes for the visitors, Dzenan Pejcinovic (82nd minute) and Danny Schmidt (83rd minute), shocked Ulm with their late goals. Wörle spoke of being taken by surprise. “It’s amazing how well we defended,” he concluded. The luck was simply lacking, but it was still a “clear step forward.” Guest coach Daniel Thioune praised Ulm, saying it was an “asset for the league.”

But the sparrows will have to wait a little longer. SSV Ulm’s next match in the league is on Sunday, September 1st, at SC Paderborn from 1:30 p.m., before a friendly against FC Augsburg is scheduled during the international break.