Goals from Tim Leibold and Niclas Füllkrug helped propel 1. FC Nürnberg up to the lofty heights of third, as their promotion push gathered further pace against a poor Paderborn performance. They were, however, able to grab a late consolation through Kevin Stöger.
Nürnberg came into the game in red hot form, having trounced St. Pauli four-nil to secure their second win on the bounce. It meant that der Club had only lost once in their last 10 outings, and René Weiler opted to keep a similar side in place to the one which won in Hamburg. Guido Burgstaller was restored to the starting line-up in place of Kevin Möhwald, who dropped to the bench.
For Paderborn, they were keen to get back on track and avoid conceding four goals for the third consecutive game in a row. Stefan Effenberg made three changes from the dramatic draw with 1860 Munich as Daniel Brückner, Dominik Wydra and Srdjan Lakic all dropped out, allowing Florian Hartherz, Marvin Bakalorz and Nick Proschwitz to start the match.
Füllkrug sends his side ahead
The opening stages were fairly even, with neither side able to gain an obvious upper-hand. The first chance of the match fell to the visitors and Moritz Stoppelkamp, though the could only fire over the bar after a penetrating run from Süleyman Koc. At the other end Niclas Füllkrug had a penalty appeal turned down by Marco Fritz, who remained unmoved after Hauke Wahl and the forward collided.
Alessandro Schöpf was doing his utmost to get involved, but it was Tim Leibold who had the best chance of the game just before the half-hour mark. A wonderful piece of play saw Füllkrug chest the ball down to the winger, but his effort was tame and the ball trickled wide of the far post.
The hosts would get the goal their play deserved, however, and their star man from last weekend, Füllkrug, soon celebrated his third goal in two games. The former Werder Bremen striker was tasked with taking a free-kick 25 yards from goal, just to the left of centre. He duly delivered a fantastic set-piece, curling the ball over the wall as it nestled in the top corner and out of Lukas Kruse's reach. Paderborn offered nothing until the break, and went in a goal down.
Leibold seals the win
The second half began with Hanno Behrens having an effort zip just wide from all of 40 yards after the restart. Nürnberg were flying after the restart and some good good play by Füllkrug saw him play in Schöpf, who was denied by the resilient Kruse. Dave Bulthuis headed over from the resulting corner, before a swift breakaway gave Mahir Saglik a chance to test Raphael Schäfer but fired wildly over.
It was a rather turgid second period and neither side looked like adding to their lead, especially when Möhwald replaced Füllkrug. It wasn't until Leibold struck for their second goal of the evening that there was any chance of note. The left-sided player picked up a pass midway inside the Paderborn half before driving at their defence and letting fly from the edge of the area. His shot flew past the helpless Kruse and in off the post, sealing all three points.
Things would get nervy right at the death for the hosts, as Effenberg's side managed to grab a goal back in the final minute. Koc, who had been the only player to offer any real attacking threat for Paderborn, held up the ball well before Kevin Stöger arrived to sweep home from the edge of the area. It was too little too late for the Westphalians, and the hosts came away with a deserved three points and their third win in a row.