A quite phenomenal performance from Eintracht Braunschweig blew away a sorry Karlsruher SC, as they came out six-nil winners.
Karlsruhe, fresh from their second consecutive win, were heading into the final game before the international break full of hope. They were forced into one change from the side that beat MSV Duisburg, as the injured Daniel Gordon was replaced by Jan Mauersberger.
Braunschweig were also buoyed by their first win of the season last time out, getting the better of Arminia Bielefeld. Thorsten Lieberknecht, like his opposite number, made just one alteration. Gerrit Holtmann came in for Jan Hochscheidt (benched) after an impressive showing last week.
Early opener sets the tone
Emil Berggreen almost gave his side the perfect start and he connected well with a deep cross but he just couldn't get high enough to direct it downward, as it looped onto the roof of the net. However, the Danish forward didn't have to wait too long until he got his goal.
After Holtmann rescued another over-hit cross he set the ball back to Adam Matuschyk and the Pole drove a shot towards goal. His effort was sneaking past the post but Berggreen produced a fancy flick to guide the ball into the bottom corner to give Braunschweig a deserved lead.
The Lions continued to push forward but the Karlsuhe defence and midfield seemed to have stabilised and were now looking more confident with the ball. However, they were struggling to conjure up any real attacking threat and a set-piece headed over by Dominic Peitz was their only opportunity of note.
Braunschweig still came forward and eventually their pressure earned them a second goal. Some magnificent build-up play involved chest control of the highest order from Berggreen, who brought the ball down and slid it into Ken Reichel. The wing-back had pushed all the way up the field and finished with aplomb, pushing the ball into the far corner.
Stellar second-half showing
In a bid to get back on track, Markus Kauczinski made two changes at half-time. Mohamed Gouaida and Enrico Valentini entered the fray in place of Boubacar Barry and Grischa Prömel, respectively. That made little difference as Braunschweig continued to carve out chance after chance, and Dirk Orlishausen did well to deny Berggreen a second goal.
There was nothing he could do moments later, however, with Dominic Peitz firing into his own net. A free-kick from Salim Khelifi was fired across goal and just needed a touch to go in, and unfortunately the defensive midfielder was the unlucky player to get the final touch.
While their third was a tad fortunate, Braunschweig's fourth was simply stunning. Maximilian Sauer drove down the right and whipped in a decent ball but it was behind all of his team-mates. Cue Marc Pfitzner, who produced a phenomenal over-head kick which sailed into the bottom corner, shocking the stadium and even himself.
The stylish nature of the Lions goals continued and Berggreen was the man to apply the finish this time. Not exactly well-known for his dead-ball ability, the Dane curled a free-kick up and over the wall and past the helpless Orlishausen. After a rough start to the season, the home fans could hardly believe what they were seeing.
As if things couldn't get any worse for the visiting side, they did. Another cross proved to be the undoing of Karlsruhe and Reichel was able to score his second, sliding in at the back post to rocket a volley into the far corner - a not too dissimilar finish to that which provided the opening goal. A day to remember and forget in equal measure for the respective sides.