The two teams were evenly poised during the first ten minutes. Aalen’s Andreas Hofmann came close to opening the scoring when his curling left footed effort just narrowly missing the post. On the ten minute mark Aalen came close again, Arne Feick effort just narrowly missing the post again.

However, it was the visitors who made the breakthrough on seventeen minutes, Niko Gießelmann brilliantly picked out the top corner with his free kick. The 23-year-old left back finished his free kick with perfection. The curl and whip was too much for Aalen’s Bernhardt. A brilliant opener from the young German.  The full back had another chance after half an hour to make it 2-0, he met Zlatko Tripic’s delivery but couldn’t quite divert his header goalwards.

Aalen had a chance to level but Andreas Ludwig didn’t get quite enough bend on his effort to pick out the bottom left hand corner.

Before the break, Marco Stiepermann had a great chance to make it 2-0, his effort looked destined to nestle into the bottom corner but Bernhardt done brilliantly to push the ball away from danger.

The teams went in at the break 1-0 to the visitors. Aalen had the best chance in the opening ten minutes of the second half, Sascha Mockenhaupt’s couldn’t keep his header down.

After the hour mark, Arne Feick’s swerving effort was too much to handle for Hesl and the ball squirmed out to Collin Quaner, who was at hand to tap it in past the diving Hesl. A crucial equaliser for struggling Aalen.

The last twenty minutes were tense and filled with action. Firstly, another brilliant Bernhardt save in the bottom corner denied Kacper Przybylko, for Fürth. Goran Sukalo missed a golden opportunity from six yards out dragging his shot wide. With thirteen minutes to play, Johannes Wurtz forced Bernhardt into a brilliant save picking the ball out of the top corner and pushing it out of danger.

Aalen fought back, Fabio Kaufmann’s initial shot was blocked but it fell to goal scorer Colin Quaner’s left footed strike was straight down the throat of Hesl. Kaufmann had another chance but he couldn’t quite test the goalkeeper.

Greuther Fürth had two great chances to take all three points in the remaining five minutes, Zlatko Tripic’s strike was well saved by Bernhardt then Zsolt Korcsmar’s bullet from outside the box was tipped over by Berhardt. Two unbelievable saves from him.

Greuther Fürth finished the game with ten men however, Stephan Schröck was sent off for a second bookable offence after a dirty tackle. 

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