Tennis Borussia Berlin suffered a 1-2 home defeat to Sparta Lichtenberg on Sunday, a result that cost the visitors not only three points but two more players to injury and suspension, tebe.de reported. Defender Marius Fleddermann tore the lateral ligaments in his ankle in the 75th minute and will be sidelined for months, while substitute Marlon Kolobaric was sent off with a straight red card in stoppage time.
The loss was Tennis Borussia’s second in a row for the team managed by head coach Jeffrey Seitz, which was already missing Illia Getmanchuk through suspension and Rici Bokake-Befonga, Levi Lubaki and Ethan Elmore through injury. Sparta Lichtenberg took the lead in the 21st minute through Meyer, who converted after Yannik Bangsow parried a low shot from Sizov. Tennis Borussia equalized in the 41st minute when Devis Meißner curled a shot from the left edge of the penalty area into the far corner, assisted by Kenan Soyler — the club’s first goal from open play by a striker this season.
Trojanovic’s Free Kick Decides a Bitter Second Half
Sparta Lichtenberg came out of halftime sharper and more aggressive, and the decisive moment arrived in the 62nd minute when a Trojanovic free kick sailed past everyone in the box and into the net, with Bangsow unable to react to the late movement in the scramble. Coach Seitz responded by switching to two center-backs and bringing on Eli Hounsa as a second striker, and the change nearly paid off when a Lichtenberg defender had to clear on the line in front of Hounsa in the 80th minute. Sparta’s Enatoh later struck the crossbar on a counterattack, but the 2-1 scoreline held. Attendance was 388.
Depleted Squad Faces Growing Absence List
The afternoon also saw Mirac Balsüzen leave the field after 33 minutes with a cold, replaced by Kolobaric, whose evening ended when he was shown a red card for a push on Meyer in the Sparta penalty area during stoppage time. Söyler was substituted for Iraki in the 70th minute, and Fleddermann was replaced by Hounsa in the 77th. With Fleddermann now expected to miss months and Kolobaric suspended, Tennis Borussia’s list of unavailable players grows longer, and the club hopes for the swift return of its injured players and the expiry of the suspension.
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