Jonas Föhrenbach headed 1. FC Heidenheim to a third consecutive victory in the 2. Bundesliga with a late winner on Sunday. The defender scored in the 84th minute to secure a 1-0 home win over Holstein Kiel, lifting his side up to third place in the table.
The first half at the Voith-Arena was a tight, tactical affair that yielded no goals. After the break, Heidenheim, missing ill striker Budu Zivzivadze, significantly raised the tempo. Substitute Christian Conteh in particular injected pace into the attack and created several opportunities. The breakthrough finally came from a corner, which Föhrenbach converted. The win was the logical consequence of Heidenheim's superior second-half performance, where they clearly dominated the game after the interval and barely allowed the visiting side from Kiel any relieving clearances.
Schmidt praises team's response
Manager Frank Schmidt was pleased with his team's response after a difficult start to the season that saw them concede 15 goals in their first four competitive games. "We didn't lose our heads and we kept at it," said the 52-year-old. He credited his team with playing "nice attacking football" in the second half, which created many chances and made the win deserved. Schmidt emphasised the good attitude and the growing stability in defence, which has now kept a clean sheet in the last two matches.
Goalscorer Föhrenbach was happy with his rare strike. "My goalscoring rate in front of the opponent's goal certainly has room for improvement," the defender joked. "That will lead to a few comments." For Heidenheim, it was a second clean sheet in a row, following a 1-0 win away to Greuther Fürth last matchday. Captain Patrick Mainka and his defensive line stood firm once again, allowing the Kiel attackers little space.
Next task in Paderborn
With twelve points from five games now, the situation has brightened considerably for the relegated side. Schmidt, however, urged caution. "Everything takes time. You can't just get a recipe from somewhere, you have to work on improvements," the coach emphasised. The next chance to do so comes this Saturday in the away fixture at SC Paderborn. Against the side from Ostwestfalen, Heidenheim aims to extend their positive run.
Another clean sheet and growing defensive solidity are positive signs for the challenges ahead. The team travels to North Rhine-Westphalia with boosted confidence, aiming to extend their winning run. For Holstein Kiel, however, the disappointment remains great after suffering their first defeat following three winless games to start the season.
