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Rock-bottom Paderborn hung on to claim a valuable goalless draw and stay within six points of hosts Düsseldorf, as Bundesliga action returned to TV screens on Saturday.
Defeat would’ve probably finished off the visitors’ survival bid, but the match finished scoreless as the home side hit the woodwork three times, before Paderborn missed a glorious late chance of their own.
Düsseldorf lined up with a back three in their traditional white and kicked the game off to echoes of applause from coaching staff allowed into the otherwise empty Merkur Spiel-Arena.
Top scorer Rouwen Hennings was left on the bench for the home side, whilst striker Streli Mamba was a surprise inclusion among the away substitutes after an injury.
Both teams felt their way into the game with slow possession across defence, though the hosts showed more urgency in the early stages and pressed high – Paderborn holding midfielder Klaus Gjasula twice had the ball stolen from his feet but it came to nothing.
The first chance came for Düsseldorf after 14 minutes, as their front three neatly worked the ball across the edge of the penalty area to set up a free shot for right wing-back Matthias Zimmermann, which was well blocked by Bastian Schonlau.
Four minutes later Schonlau was involved again, nearly scoring an own goal as he deflected Valon Berisha’s wayward far post volley onto the post.
The tempo picked up as the first half continued, with Düsseldorf centre half Kaan Ayhan heading inches wide from a free kick on the half hour.
Bottom of the table Paderborn offered very little threat before the break though. Right winger Kai Proger had their only effort of note, a wide free-kick, comfortably parried away by Florian Kastenmeier.
Paderborn’s Christopher Antwi-Adjej challenges for a header with two Düsseldorf players (credit: @SCPaderborn07 / Twitter)
The second half began with a harsh yellow card for Düsseldorf’s Kenan Karaman from referee Frank Willenborg – the striker slipped as he went into a tackle on halfway.
Aside from a powerful Dennis Srbeny run that ended in a perfectly timed Andre Hoffman slide tackle, Paderborn continued to be pushed back after the interval.
Hennings was brought on for the hosts on the hour, but Düsseldorf could only manage a couple of blocked and off-target efforts of their own until Berisha hit the bar.
The Kosovan number ten met a left wing cross unmarked on the penalty spot, but he saw his flying header crash against the crossbar and rebound off Paderborn goalkeeper Leopold Zingerle’s back, before being hooked away to safety.
With ten minutes to play, Düsseldorf hit the woodwork for a third time. Erik Thommy appeared to foul his man but the referee allowed play to continue as he broke forward.
A neat pass fed Steven Skrzybski, brought on to the pitch only a minute earlier, down the left channel, but his near post effort bounced back into play off the base of the post.
Having soaked up pressure all game, Paderborn then missed the best chance of the match – and their only meaningful opportunity all afternoon – to win it in the 87th minute.
Gerrit Holtmann picked out Christopher Antwi-Adjej with a perfect cross along the six-yard line from the left wing, but, with a virtually open goal to aim at, the midfielder could only slice a side-footed effort agonisingly over the far post.
It would’ve been a hammer-blow for the hosts, who’s goalkeeper had been a spectator throughout in a ground without fans.
The draw leaves Paderborn 18th on 17 points, two places and six points behind Düsseldorf in the relegation playoff place.
The hosts are three points behind Mainz, in safety in 15th, ahead of their game at Köln tomorrow.
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