Ulm’s New Coach Lechleiter Begins Tenure with Draw Against KSC

In a goalless encounter in Karlsruhe, Ulm’s newly appointed coach Robert Lechleiter made a strong debut in the 2. Bundesliga. The successor to Thomas Wörle secured a point in the relegation battle with the scoreless draw in the local derby.

Despite a second-half improvement, the Karlsruher SC, coached by Christian Eichner, failed to secure a home victory in front of 28,824 spectators. At present, Karlsruhe sits tenth in the league standings after 26 matches, trailing the SC Paderborn in the relegation playoff spot by eight points. Meanwhile, SSV Ulm remains in 17th place, now only three points behind Eintracht Braunschweig, who occupy the relegation playoff position. The Ulmers are set to face Darmstadt following the international break, while Karlsruhe will compete against Hertha BSC.

Goalkeeper Change at Ulm

Wörle was relieved of his duties on Tuesday, leading to Lechleiter, the former U19 coach, stepping in and earning a point in his first match. Prior to halftime, the visitors had the best opportunity when Max Brandt was denied by Christoph Kobald, who cleared the ball off the line in the 41st minute, preventing it from reaching the already beaten goalkeeper Max Weiß.

After the break, the home side increased their efforts. Substitute Robin Heußer (47th minute) struck the woodwork, and Marvin Wanitzek (49th minute) was thwarted by Niclas Thiede, who had entered the match after a quarter of an hour to replace the injured Christian Ortag. In the 79th minute, Thiede had a lucky escape when he ventured far from his goal and was rounded by Ben Farath, but the Karlsruhe player failed to convert from nearly 25 meters out.