The series has held: By drawing 1-1 against 1. FC Köln, Greuther Fürth remained unbeaten in their sixth home game in a row. The chance of staying in the relegation zone is not really increased by this point gain, but the progress made in the game serves as an encouragement.
Three wins and three draws, the Cloverleaf have given their fans a six-pack of unbeaten 90 minutes in recent home games. “This series is important for us and for our fans: to see that we are very strong at home. I think every opponent that comes here knows it’s going to be hard to get points. We showed that again,” said captain Branimir Hrgota. The spectacular 3:6 against Hoffenheim at the end of November meant the last defeat on home turf so far.
First win of three points after going behind
The draw against Cologne is a further step forward in the standings, as it was only the third point gained from a deficit this season. Only in the two draws against Arminia Bielefeld had this been the case so far. “We fought our way back after going behind and put in a really good performance. We deserved the point,” said defender Sebastian Griesbeck, who scored his first Bundesliga goal after heading in a corner. It was only the third time this season that the cloverleaf scored after a corner, another development.
However, this one point is of little use for staying in the league, which remains an almost impossible task with ten games remaining. Nevertheless: In the perpetual table, SpVgg caught up with SSV Ulm 1846 in 50th place with 35 points, but the “Spatzen” have played 24 games less and have the better goal difference. Tennis Borussia Berlin holds 49th place with 49 points. It is hard to imagine Stefan Leitl’s team catching up in 2021/22. And if they did, there would suddenly be guaranteed suspense in the relegation battle.
