Three points, five goals - but Waldhof doesn't want to "rely on others"
They're still a small step away from staying in the league. But SV Waldhof's performance against newly promoted Dynamo Dresden offers some confidence that nothing is going to happen in Bielefeld.
Big step toward relegation: The Waldhof boys around goal scorer Kennedy Okpala (right). picture alliance / BEAUTIFUL SPORTS
46 points, 15th place – after two wins in a row and a total of four consecutive games without a loss, things are looking good for SV Waldhof . A challenging season with two coaching changes looks set to end well. Perhaps because there's still some crunch time to be had in the Electoral Palatinate.
After their 1-0 win over a still-celebrating Dresden side, three points and five goals separate the Buwe from the relegation zone. More specifically, from Borussia Dortmund II . BVB will travel to Saarbrücken for the final game, while Waldhof will face newly promoted Bielefeld, who celebrated on their sofas on Saturday.
"I'm extremely proud of how my team performed on the pitch today, how they fought back against everything, the willingness they showed, and how courageously they performed throughout large parts of the game," Dominik Glawogger praised his players after the final whistle on MagentaSport . The 35-year-old Austrian, who took over from Bernhard Trares a few weeks ago, spoke of "almost certain" relegation and allowed for a small celebration for the moment. "I told the boys that they can celebrate the win today and then celebrate properly again next week when we secure our relegation."
As with his brace in Cottbus , Kennedy Okpala scored again against Dynamo (62'). The 20-year-old dismissed the praise heaped on him after his fourth goal of the season: "I'm happy I was able to contribute, but it was a team effort. The way we worked hard at the back to keep a clean sheet and then took advantage of the transition moments was very good. I'm proud of the team."
Jump on the fence costs Okpala the season finaleOkpala will miss the game in Bielefeld due to his fifth yellow card after jumping onto the fence in celebration ("That was a bit stupid"), but still believes in a happy ending. "We're not relying on other teams and are doing our own thing. If we win against Bielefeld, it doesn't matter what the competition does." Even a point at the Alm would be enough for Waldhof to secure another season in the 3rd division.
It's not yet clear whether the Buwe will be coached by Austrian Glawogger again. "It's not about me at all. We want to achieve the goal first, and then we'll see," explained the coach, referring to the now slightly positive record (2/2/1).
