Dramatic events unfold at the brink of the major spectacle!
Altona 93 Falls Just Short in Tight Promotion Round Opener
In a tense and closely-fought encounter, Altona 93 narrowly missed out on a home win in the opening match of the promotion round for the Regionalliga Nord, drawing 2-2 with SV Hemelingen before a near sell-out crowd at the Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn.
Initial traffic congestion delayed the start of the game by 20 minutes, but the delay did not dampen the spirits of the 4744 spectators who witnessed Altona's energetic start. Ezra Ampofo caused problems for the guests on the right wing, while Moritz Grosche's long throws proved to be the home team's most dangerous weapon. Altona took the lead after 12 minutes, when Grosche crossed into the penalty area for Michael Ambrosius to head past SVH keeper Marcel Pfaar.
Altona's lead was short-lived, however, as the Bremen double winners leveled the score five minutes later with a swift counterattack. AFC goalkeeper Dennis Lohmann parried a long shot from Isa Drammeh, and Abdula Genaev pounced on the opportunity to equalize for the men in blue with gold numbers.
The remainder of the first half saw both teams battle for dominance, with chances few and far between. A shot from Veli Sulejmani was blocked, and in a counterattack, the AFC suffered another setback when goal scorer Ambrosius injured himself while clearing a corner. Gideon Baur came on as his replacement.
After another Grosche throw-in, Rasmus Tobinski failed to finish effectively, while at the other end, Pfaar made strong saves against Genaev and Drammeh.
"We knew that the opponent would play very deep and come with long balls," explained Altona's coach Andreas Bergmann about the course of the game. His team tried to break through the Hemelinger defense, but dribbles were often thwarted by the opposition's well-organized rearguard.
In the second half, Drammeh took an early shot, but it was harmless. The pattern from the first half continued, with Altona searching for a breakthrough and Hemelingen looking to catch them on the counterattack. Substitutes Lawrence Schön and Max Düwel were introduced for Karschau and throw-in specialist Grosche, and Altona went for the final offensive.
In the 78th minute, Tobinski and Sulejmani combined to give Altona the lead once more, but their celebrations were short-lived as Hemelingen equalized in the final minute of stoppage time. The AFC goalkeeper, Lohmann, was powerless to stop Genaev's close-range shot.
Coach Bergmann was philosophical about the missed victory, saying, "That wonder goal stings, but it's just the start of the promotion round." Altona's next game is against Heider SV on June 1st, with another match against FSV Schöningen still to come in the promotion round.
[Source: NewsText]
Despite the intense football match, Altona 93's participation in the European-leagues remains uncertain as they drew with SV Hemelingen in the Premier-league promotion round. In the second half, a late equalizer from Hemelingen prevented Altona 93 from securing a crucial home win, emphasizing the competitive nature of the European-leagues' Premier-league.
