In a very physical context on Saturday afternoon, Braunschweig nor Ingolstadt could find a single goal. Ramazan Özcan produced a fantastic display in the visiting goal to keep out the Lions, though Benjamin Hübner also had a goal ruled out for offside.

Braunschweig finally ended their rotten run in 2015 with Nik Omladic's free-kick giving them a 1-0 win over SV Sandhausen. It was a long time coming for Torsten Lieberknecht and his side, though he opted not to field the same eleven that won on Sunday. Deniz Dogan replaced Maximilian Sauer, while Ryu Seung-Woo dropped out for Emil Berggreen.

Ingolstadt were having a similar run to the Lions; their near double-figure lead at the top of the table had been eaten in to and was cut to three points last weekend. That came after a 1-3 defeat to promotion rivals Karlsruher SC, though he kept faith in a largely similar starting side. Thomas Pledl came in for Mathew Leckie, who dropped to the bench in die Schanzer's only change.

The Lions were buoyed by last week's win and came out of the blocks much faster than their table-topping counterparts. Berggreen nearly gave them an early lead too, but Ramazan Özcan stood firm and prevented the winger from going past him. Ken Reichel was also denied by the Austrian stopper, who was at full stretch to tip his twenty-five yard drive past the post.

Ingolstadt were offering very little going forward, though did force Rafal Ginkiwicz into some important punches. The Polish stopper signed a new contract until 2017 with Braunschweig, and his confidence in dealing with the dangerous deliveries from Pascal Groß showed just why they were so happy to do so.

The hosts looked far more likely to open the scoring and the continued to push and pressurise the opposition defence. It was a heated affair also, with Saulo Decalri and Moritz Hartmann at loggerheads throughout; so much so that the latter was shown a yellow card. Özcan continued to make spectacular saves, specifically a great one-on-one stop from Berggreen.

Pledl had a shot cleared off the line with the final action of the half, as both sides went in level after a thoroughly entertaining first period. Unsurprisingly Hartmann was taken off during the break, with Leckie taking his place.

Groß' delivery looked to have given Ingolstadt the advantage, only for the linesmann to rule out Benjamin Hübner's bullet header out for offside. It was a very, very close call but the right one in the end. The game was intriguing, though the constant fouls were disrupting what could have been a much better spectacle.

Chances were at a premium in the second period and both defences remained on top for large periods, with the midfield battle seemingly impossible to breach. Braunschweig were still the better side and some Manuel Neuer-esque goalkeeping from Özcan nearly landed his side in trouble, but for a Danilo Soares clearance.

The game ended with neither side on top and a draw was probably a fair result, given the lack of quality in the second-half. Braunschweig now sit seven points from the promotion places, while Ingolstadt stretched their lead to four over Darmstadt - after the Lilies lost to Fortuna Düsseldorf. Die Schanzer take on an unbeaten FSV Frankfurt next Sunday, with Braunschweig squaring off against Greuther Fürth.

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About the author
Jonathan Walsh
SoccerSight IFA commentator. VAVEL deputy editor-in-chief/VAVEL Bundesliga editor-in-chief and writer. Email: [email protected]