2. Bundesliga: A tale of two halves as Braunschweig and Darmstadt share the spoils

Braunschweig and Darmstadt played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in the 2. Bundesliga, with momentum swinging dramatically between the two halves.

Goals from Mehmet Aydin and Johan Gomez late in the first period had the hosts on course for a statement victory, but league leaders Darmstadt mounted a strong response after the break, with Matej Maglica netting twice to rescue a point for Florian Kohfeldt’s side.

Braunschweig began brightly and, despite Darmstadt dominating possession as expected, Heiner Backhaus’ team looked the more threatening in transition. The hosts defended resolutely and restricted the visitors to very few clear opportunities during a tightly contested opening 40 minutes.

The breakthrough arrived in the 41st minute from the penalty spot. Following a long throw, Lukas Frenkert was hauled down by Hiroki Akiyama inside the area, prompting an immediate point to the spot from the referee. Aydin stepped up and powered his effort past Marcel Schuhen, who guessed correctly but could not keep it out.

Braunschweig struck again deep into first-half stoppage time. Darmstadt once more struggled to deal with a long throw, Frenkert flicking the ball on into the path of Gomez, who reacted sharply to guide his finish past Schuhen with the aid of the post and send the hosts into the interval with a commanding 2-0 lead.

Darmstadt responded with renewed urgency after the restart and halved the deficit in the 56th minute. Sergio López delivered an inviting cross into the box, where Maglica rose highest to plant a precise header beyond Ron-Thorben Hoffmann.

Die Lilien continued to apply pressure and found their equaliser with 12 minutes remaining. López was involved again, whipping in another dangerous delivery that was flicked on by Killian Corredor to the back post, where Maglica arrived unmarked to tap home his second of the afternoon and level the contest at 2-2.

Both sides pushed for a late winner in an open finale, aware of the significance of all three points, but neither defence would yield again. After four minutes of added time, the referee brought an absorbing encounter to a close.

The draw lifts Braunschweig to 12th and represents a strong response to last week’s defeat, particularly against the league leaders. For Darmstadt, the point extends their unbeaten league run to 12 matches. They remain top for now, though Schalke have the opportunity to move above them with a win tomorrow.