Baden secures the triumph in the regional derby competition

The third-division duel between SSV Ulm 1846 Fußball and SV Waldhof Mannheim took place at the Donaustadion on Sunday afternoon, with the latter emerging victorious in a close-fought contest.

The game began in ideal football weather, but was very one-sided in favour of SV Waldhof Mannheim. They took the lead early on, as a well-rehearsed standard variant by Kennedy Okpala resulted in a penalty converted by Felix Lohkemper, giving Mannheim a 0:1 advantage.

However, Ulm responded quickly, with Elias Löder scoring after a fatal mistake by Mannheim to level the score at 1:1 (17.). Despite several promising counterattacks, Mannheim failed to score more goals in the first half.

In the second half, SSV Ulm improved their performance and kept SV Waldhof Mannheim penned in their own penalty area for several minutes. Paul Besong had the best chance for an equaliser during Ulm's pressure phase in the second half, but the game ended 1:2 in favour of Mannheim.

The coach of SSV Ulm, Hoeneß, commented that the first half was not good, but praised his team's performance in the second half. On the other side of the field, Mannheim focused on counterattacks and largely managed the narrow lead.

There were numerous chances for both teams to level the score. A header chance from Elias Löder and a long-range shot from Max Brandt could have leveled the score for Ulm in the first half. Emmanuel Iwe, Terrence Boyd, and Kennedy Okpala failed to beat Christian Ortag for Mannheim, squandering a chance to decide the game.

Andre Becker had a final, unused chance to secure a point for Ulm in the dying minutes, but the game ended 1:2. Despite several vigilant saves from Ortag and a few missed opportunities, the score remained unchanged.

The attendance for the game was 11,761, with both teams putting on a thrilling display of football. Only a vigilant Ortag in the sparrow nest prevented the score from being 0:2 or more after 15 minutes. Dennis Dressel, the captain of Ulm, tested Mannheim's goalkeeper from distance (74.).

In the end, SV Waldhof Mannheim remained the better team and took home the three points, leaving SSV Ulm to regroup and prepare for their next match.