It’s best at home. In times of the pandemic, this saying, used almost mantra-like not only for reasons of reason, is also the motto of FC Ingolstadt 04 in this 2020/21 football season. As the strongest home team in the league, the Upper Bavarians made it to third place in the table and were relegated to a second division place in the coming season against VfL Osnabrück. Where it turned out how much the Ingolstadt team internalized the saying in the past few months: 3-0 (2-0) they defeated Lower Saxony in a convincing manner in the first leg on Thursday evening.
The second division return after two years of abstinence is already close for the Ingolstadt team before the second leg at the Bremer Brücke on Sunday (1.30 p.m.). “That was an impeccable performance,” said FCI coach Tomas Oral. “But we have to stay focused and humble. Osnabrück is still in the second division.”
Even before the game – as is now almost common practice throughout the Republic – some fans in front of the stadium set off the first fireworks. However, the reaction to this was unusual: there was applause from 250 spectators in the sports park. For the first time since October, fans were allowed to take part: With “Stand up, if you are Schanzer!” they started to groove themselves in again in the unfamiliar environment. After cumulative “Ingolstadt” calls, at the end of the throats rang out: “Fight until the end. For the second division. FCI!”
Despite their relegation trauma, the two narrow and bitter defeats against Wehen Wiesbaden 2019 and Nuremberg 2020, the Ingolstadt team actually did that again from the start. Most of the time they left the ball to the guests, but this way they were able to counteract all the more targeted. In the second minute they sent the attacker Stefan Kutschke into the penalty area, which led to the first corner.
“I don’t care who it is. The main thing is that we have this hero,” said FCI coach Tomas Oral
Oral demonstrated almost visionary abilities not only with his position. Before the game he was also asked about a possible relegation hero: “I don’t care who it is. The main thing is that we have this hero,” he said in conclusion. But before that he mentioned the names Bilbija, Paulsen, Schröck, Caiuby or Eckert Ayensa. So the first corner was taken by Marc Stendera, he kicked it to the six Robin Krauße, who extended it to the second post. There the mentioned Tobias Schröck straddled into the picture and steered the ball into the goal to make it 1-0 (2nd minute). The made-to-measure start was followed by opportunities from Fatih Kaya, who impressed in the 3-1 win in the last league game against TSV 1860 Munich (18th, 28th).
He had calibrated his feet so well that he scored the 2-0 straight away after a flat cross from Filip Bilbija into the VfL five-meter space (35th). Shortly thereafter, Kaya’s second goal only prevented the Osnabrück goalkeeper Philipp Kühn (42nd) from reacting. “The team showed the will that you need in a game like this,” said Oral Dazn.
After the clear lead in the first half, a more restless, wobbly game developed after the break, in which the second division team finally got a chance: Ludovit Reis aimed over it (52nd). On the other hand, left-back Dominik Franke failed after winning the ball in the opponent’s penalty area (!) On the crossbar (72nd). Another hero named and substituted by Oral did not even aim ten minutes later: Dennis Eckert Ayensa prevailed after a long ball from Stendera in a running duel against Timo Beermann and then boldly lifted the ball over Kühn to the final score in the goal (81.) .
This means that Osnabrück’s chances of staying in the class are reduced to a minimum. Hope could still give Lower Saxony that the Ingolstadt team were only the tenth strongest team in the third division away. But there is still the damned own record: Osnabrück was the worst home team in the second division this season.
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