1. FC Heidenheim 1846 secured an important away victory at 1. FC Fürth on Sunday with an early goal. Budu Zivzivadze headed Frank Schmidt's side into a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute, which proved to be the winner.
The visitors from the Ostalb region created their first real chance and took it clinically. After a short corner taken by Dzenis Burnic, the ball came back to Jan-Niklas Beste. The midfielder delivered a high cross into the six-yard box where Zivzivadze rose unchallenged to head home for 0-1. Fürth goalkeeper Jonas Urbig had no chance against the precise finish. It was Heidenheim's first shot of the match.
After taking the lead, FCH dropped back and ceded possession to the Cloverleaves. The defence marshalled by captain Patrick Mainka and Tim Kleindienst remained extremely compact, allowing few openings. Although Fürth dominated the ball, they struggled for long periods to create clear-cut opportunities. A long-range effort from Branimir Hrgota in the seventh minute was the only notable action of the first half-hour, comfortably saved by Kevin Müller. Heidenheim remained disciplined in their own half and rarely countered.
The Heidenheim goalkeeper was only seriously called into action once all game but secured the clean sheet with several good claims inside his area. In the 28th minute, he also came out to confidently catch a cross from Dickson Abiama before a Fürth attacker could connect. His calm demeanour provided additional assurance to the back line. Müller is having a strong season, details of which can be found in the team stats.
The win consolidates Heidenheim's position in the mid-table region. The next challenge comes this weekend when FCH hosts SC Paderborn 07 at the Voith-Arena. This match is part of a demanding run of fixtures visible on the fixtures page. In that context, the three points in Fürth were an important step. The team returns from the Spielvereinigung with boosted confidence and can now focus on the home game. The squad list lineup is available on the squad page.
With the 1-0 win in Fürth, Heidenheim claimed their first away victory since matchday 15. Budu Zivzivadze scored his fourth goal of the season with the header.
