Energie Cottbus loses 2:3 to Greuther Fürth – Copado's double not enough

The game turns shortly after the break

Immediately after the restart, the match tipped decisively in the visitors' favour. Just 45 seconds after the resumption, Cottbus suffered a costly loss of the ball down the left side of their defence. „Nur 45 Sekunden nach der Wiederanpfiff lies sich Borgmann auf der linken Seite den Ball klauen. Felix Klaus dribbelte frei auf Lotka zu, seinen Pass schob Fousseny Doumbia ins eigene Tor. 2:1 für Fürth“, the dpa live ticker reported. The own goal gave Fürth the lead for the first time in the match.

From then on, Cottbus tried to cancel out the renewed deficit. The team around keeper Lotka now committed far more to the attack and produced a number of efforts, but none of them found their way into the Fürth goal. The introduction of Ole Pohlmann did not bring the hoped-for turning point either, although Pohlmann, coming off the bench, was able to provide some fresh impetus in the Cottbus attack.

Fürth see out the lead

The visitors from Fürth managed their narrow lead with routine in the closing stages. With their second away win of the season, they underline their position in the upper reaches of the table. For Energie Cottbus, the takeaway from the match is that the team were competitive over long stretches but ultimately cost themselves a possible second home win of the still-young season with individual errors.

Despite the defeat, the game offered the spectators in the Lausitz Arena entertaining football over long stretches. In particular, the duel between the two attacking players Copado and Felix Klaus, who was crucially involved in Fürth's winning goal, provided pace and goal threat at both ends.

Outlook after the match

After the defeat, attention at Energie Cottbus has already turned to the next home fixture. With one eye on the table, coach and team will need to work on eliminating the defensive errors that ultimately made the difference on this afternoon. Fürth, meanwhile, travel back to Middle Franconia with confidence.

The result represents a bitter setback for Cottbus in their bid to consolidate further in the league. While the fans in the Lausitz Arena bid their team farewell with applause despite the defeat, the disappointment over the missed chance of a second home win this season lingers.

Even before the game, the pre-match picture had pointed to a tight contest. Both sides had gone into the match under different circumstances: Fürth as an established second-division club, Cottbus with the confidence drawn from their first win of the season. In the end, the individual class of the Fürth players – especially Klaus – told against the battling performance of the Lausitz side.