2. Bundesliga Sunday Konferenz round-up

With pressure mounting on Stefan Leitl’s future, Hertha delivered another composed away performance – just as they did in Hannover a fortnight ago – claiming a convincing win in Nürnberg that will ease the strain on their head coach for now.

Hertha struck immediately, Marten Winkler nodding in at the back post from a Fabian Reese cross inside two minutes. From there, Nürnberg saw plenty of the ball but created little of note. Miroslav Klose’s side looked ponderous in possession, their best opportunities coming from set pieces, including Mohamed Ali Zoma’s gilt-edged chance from a corner that somehow stayed out.

The visitors remained patient, pressing selectively and countering effectively. Their approach paid off again in the 41st minute, when Michael Cuisance reacted quickest to a parried shot and fired home to double the lead before the break, leaving Nürnberg visibly shell-shocked.

Chasing the game, the hosts began the second half with more urgency but could only muster speculative efforts at Tjark Ernst’s goal. Hertha were content to soak up pressure and wait for the right moments, sealing the result in the 85th minute when substitute Dawid Kownacki combined neatly with Reese before netting his first goal for the club.

The contest fizzled out from there with the home side well beaten, ending 0-3. Hertha climb to 13th and now aim to secure their first home win next weekend against Preußen Münster. Nürnberg, meanwhile, sink to 16th, with Klose’s position certain to come under scrutiny again before their trip to Düsseldorf.

Hannover bounced back from recent setbacks with a strong second-half showing to see off Arminia Bielefeld at the Heinz-von-Heiden-Arena.

The hosts thought they had the lead early though Benjamin Källman’s fifth-minute strike was ruled out for offside against Jannik Rochelt in the build-up. Rochelt went close again midway through the half, but Arminia struck first: Joel Felix got the better of Virgil Ghiță to finish Thaddäus Momuluh’s cross on 35 minutes.