Hagen secured a narrow 32-31 victory over Dessauer-Rosslauer in the Second Bundesliga on Thursday evening. The result leaves both sides level on points after two rounds, though Hagen sit second while their opponents remain tenth. It was a match decided by a single goal, the sort of result that keeps you watching until the final whistle.
Dessauer-Rosslauer came into this fixture with one win and one draw from their opening two games. They had beaten Ludwigshafen 31-29 and lost to Emsdetten 25-34 in their previous outings. Hagen, meanwhile, had won both of their matches so far, taking 41 points against Ham-Westfalen and 35 against Coburg 2000.
The visitors were already showing signs of being a team to follow. Two wins from two, four points on the board, and they had been comfortable in both results. But Dessauer-Rosslauer had shown they could compete, particularly in their three-goal win over Ludwigshafen on September fourth.
By the time the final score was confirmed, the table told its own story. Hagen moved into second place with four points, while Dessauer-Rosslauer stayed on two points in tenth. The gap between them was now just two points, not the eight that their positions might suggest.
What mattered most was how close this one was. A thirty-one goal margin would have meant one side had nothing to do all evening. Instead, it went down to the wire, and that is what you remember when you watch these Second Bundesliga fixtures.