Marcel Sobottka's strike finally ended Fortuna Düsseldorf's 531 minute wait for a goal, as he cancelled out Robert Glatzel's to secure a 1-1 draw with 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
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Fortuna and Friedhelm Funkel were bidding to end a five-game scoreless streak, and opted for a slightly more attacking line-up as a result. Alexander Madlung and Marlon Ritter were sacrificed to bring both Marcel Sobottka and Axel Bellinghausen into the starting side.
For Kaiserslautern, a home win over Würzburger Kickers had brightened the mood on the Betze. Head coach, Norbert Meier made just one change as Tim Heubach replaced Robin Koch at the back.
Fortuna come forward, Red Devils hold firm
The home fans almost got their wish for a precious goal after just two minutes as a lovely passing move saw Oliver Fink play in Bellinghausen. His cross was met by Ihlas Bebou but he crucially couldn't play the key pass. Fink was happy to try his luck from range, with Kaiserlsuatern reduced to set-pieces in an attempt to come forward.
The pressure didn't end there as a vital block tackle from Philipp Mwene denied Fink once more, with Fortuna well on top. Lukas Schmitz and Bellinghausen both had chances to cross and did so with great accuracy, although Rouwen Hennings was never in the right area to apply the necessary finish.
While Fortuna were in control, Osayamen Osawe moved forward at pace but his runs down the right never quite connected with a team-mate. At the other end, a flurry of attempts ended the half as Bebou and Schmitz fired narrowly off target before Fink fired straight down the chest of Julian Pollersbeck before the break.
Glatzel strikes, Sobottka responds
At the break, Glatzel was brought off the bench to great and immediate effect. It was far from pretty and anything but conventional, yet it was all the visiting side needed to take the lead. A goal-mouth scramble ensued and Glatzel was the man fortunate enough to capitalise as his tap-in sent the large travelling contingent wild.
While the Kaiserslautern faithful were still buoyed by their goal, Fortuna struck level. It was a deflected shot that proved key to the ball breaking their way with Adam Bodzek's effort falling kindly to Sobottka. The midfielder remained calm in front of the oncoming Pollersbeck and hammered home to finally end the drought.
Bebou came inches away from making it two in as many minutes, as his powerful shot was parried brilliantly onto the post by Pollersbeck. Fortuna were edging things as the game wore on and it became more of a midfield battle, which allowed both sides to fire free-kicks into the box to no avail.
The final exchanges were tight and understandably tense, which was only emphasised when a routine cleared from Heubach was sliced onto the post. There were similar scenes at the other end as Kaan Ayhan made a stunning goal-line clearance to prevent the Glatzel story from taking another dramatic twist.
It's not a result that does either side any favours, but the fact Fortuna scored and Kaiserslautern managed to grab a point that they could have easily lost will please both sides.