Heidenheim and Elversberg draw 2-2 in Bundesliga playoff very first leg

HEIDENHEIM, Germany (AP)– Two overachieving clubs clashed for a location in the Bundesliga and neither might strike a decisive blow.Top-tier Heidenheim and second-division Elversberg drew 2-2 in the very first leg of their relegation/promotion playoff on Thursday, leaving the contest finely poised before the second leg in Elversberg on Monday.Advertisement” Everything open,”Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt said.Heidenheim, which was

only promoted to the leading division in 2023 after an unlikely ascent through the lower leagues, ended up third from bottom in the Bundesliga this season when it likewise needed to contend with European competitors after its eighth-place surface last year.Elversberg, which was still playing at fourth-tier level three years back, finished third in the second department to earn its shot in the

playoff.It was a battle between modest clubs with the longest-serving coaches in German professional soccer. Schmidt took control of in Heidenheim on Sept. 17, 2007, while his Elversberg counterpart Horst Steffen took charge on Oct. 29, 2018. Advertisement Steffen led the group from the fourth-tier local league, clinching promo to the 3rd department in 2022, then to the 2nd as third-division champion a year later on, before making the chance at Bundesliga promo this year.Heidenheim made the better start and missed good chances before Lukas Petkov struck for the visitors in the 18th minute, and Fisnik Asllani rounded off a well-worked group relocate to make it 2-0 in the 42nd. Omar Haktab Traoré believed he ‘d pulled one back for Heidenheim before the break, however the goal was dismissed after a VAR check discovered an offside player associated with the buildup.Schmidt reacted with three modifications at the interval.Advertisement Tim Siersleben pulled a goal back on a rebound in the 62nd,

and Mathias Honsak adjusted 3 minutes later.The home team ended up highly as the visitors tired, but neither team could claim an advantage before the second leg in Elversberg.

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