1. FC Heidenheim suffered a heavy 4-2 away defeat to Arminia Bielefeld. The defence of the third-placed side conceded three goals in the first half and was unable to recover from the early deficit.
Defensive Issues in the First Half
Joel Grodowski put Arminia ahead in the 14th minute. Budu Zivzivadze extended the lead from the penalty spot in the 31st minute to make it 2-0 for the hosts. Just before half-time, Paul Hennrich scored in the fourth minute of added time for a 3-0 lead, effectively deciding the match before the break. Felix Hagmann completed the 4-0 for Bielefeld in the 56th minute. Heidenheim's late goals from Zivzivadze and Hennrich were mere consolations.
The defeat is a setback for Heidenheim, who were third in the 2. Bundesliga with 13 points from six games before the matchday. Frank Schmidt's team had recently put together a solid run, which included a 2-2 draw in the last meeting with Bielefeld. The focus now is on addressing the defensive frailties. The full squad list and current standings show the path to consolidation.
Both teams lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. However, the tactical setup did not bring Heidenheim the desired stability. Early counters and the converted penalty put the visitors under pressure from the start. Top scorer J. Schöppner, who has three goals this season, failed to find the net in this match.
The next test comes on October 10th with a home game against fifth-placed 1. FC Kaiserslautern. All upcoming fixtures can be found on the fixtures page. Until then, the team must learn the lessons from the heavy away defeat to keep pace in the tight leading group of the league.
Read the full report at tntsports.co.uk
