Aydin thunderbolt helps ten-man Braunschweig stun Magdeburg

Drama unfolded on Sunday afternoon as numerically disadvantaged Braunschweig stunned Magdeburg 1-0.

At a packed out Avnet Arena, Magdeburg took the game to Eintracht Braunschweig who were on the ropes from the first whistle. Some aggressive pressing put the visitors under all sorts of pressure as last-gasp blocks prevented Nollenberger and Gnaka’s efforts from troubling Ron-Thorben Hofmann’s goal. 

Shortly before the half-hour mark, the post came to Braunschweig’s rescue – a wonderful attack enabled Gnaka to feed Martjin Kaars whose effort smacked off the aluminum. The 26-year-old striker came close again minutes later after Atik and Mathisen combined in the box only for Kaars’ effort to roll past the left upright. 

Magdeburg held the numerical advantage beyond the 55th-minute as Kevin Ehlers saw red for a nasty challenge on Mathisen. One would assume the hosts would have made hay with the spare man, but in fact, their play became rather unimaginative. Not even substitutions like Ahl Holmström or Falko Michel could alter the scoreboard. 

Suddenly, the game was turned on it’s head in the blink of an eye as Braunschweig snatched a 1-0 lead. Mehmet Aydin recovered possession on halfway and drove forward before unleashing a right-footed rocket from 30 metres past Dominik Reimann. Magdeburg battled for a late equaliser, but the visitors hung on through injury time to win against the odds.