SC Paderborn secures a late victory over Kiel in the Bundesliga, scoring the decisive goal in the final moments to begin their season on a high note.
In the opening weekend of the 2025/26 2nd Bundesliga season, SC Paderborn took on Holstein Kiel at their Home Deluxe Arena. The fixture marked a significant event, setting the tone for Paderborn's campaign.
The projected lineup for Paderbor featured Nick Baetzner, a new signing from Stuttgart II, in goal. Defensively, Felix Götze (captain), newly appointed, took charge alongside Brackelmann and Scheller. The midfield consisted of Curda, Castañeda, Engelns, and Obermair, with the attacking trio of Bätzner, Bilbija, and Copado leading the charge upfront.
The first half of the game saw no notable scoring opportunities for either team. However, in the second half, Lucas Copado created the first dangerous goal threat for Paderborn. In the 84th minute, Stefano Marino and Felix Götze came on as substitutes, replacing Engelns and Scheller respectively.
The game seemed destined for a draw until the 89th minute, when Filip Bilbija scored the winning goal for Paderborn. Bilbija's goal, a curled shot into the far corner, came in stoppage time (90.+9). However, it was initially ruled offside, but VAR intervention overturned the decision, securing a 2:1 win for Paderborn.
For Holstein Kiel, new signings Armin Gigovic, Ivan Nekic, and Marvin Musculus were in the starting lineup. The team was without Sven Michel, David Kinsombi, Anton Baeuerle, Joel Vega Zambrano, and Ruben Mueller due to injuries.
The statistics for the game showed 9:7 shots on goal for Paderborn, 1.29:0.43 xGoals, 47:53% possession, 76:80% pass accuracy, 49:51% duels won, 13:12 fouls, and 3:0 corners.
Meanwhile, in the U21 league, youngster Bennit Broger started for the SC Paderborn team, which drew 1:1 against FC Schalke 04.
Looking ahead, SC Preußen Münster, who suffered an unlucky 2:3 defeat at the hands of Karlsruher SC in their opening match while down a man, will be guests of SC Paderborn on August 8th at 6:30 PM.
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- Despite no significant scoring opportunities in the first half, the second half of the game saw an attacking threat from Paderborn's Lucas Copado.
- In the thrilling 2:1 win over Holstein Kiel, Filip Bilbija scored the winning goal for SC Paderborn with a curled shot in the 89th minute, a goal initially ruled offside but overturned by VAR.
