Ralf Kettemann’s side held up their end of the bargain by defeating Darmstadt and were aided by Nürnberg’s draw with Hannover, a result that allowed Paderborn to leap into the play-off position and keep their promotion dream alive.
The match began at a frantic pace and Paderborn survived an early scare just four minutes in when the prolific Isac Lidberg struck the post for Darmstadt. However, the visitors responded immediately and took the lead only two minutes later. Mattes Hansen floated a ball over the top for Marino, who drove into the penalty area, skilfully evaded Aleksandar Vukotić and calmly slotted past Marcel Schuhen at the near post to make it 1-0.
Darmstadt reacted positively to falling behind and created two excellent opportunities to equalise before the half-hour mark. First, Killian Corredor forced Seimen into a superb low save following some intricate build-up play, before Marco Richter narrowly missed the target moments later after meeting a long throw-in.
Florian Kohfeldt’s side continued to pile on the pressure, but Seimen repeatedly stood firm to frustrate the hosts. Three minutes before half-time, Richter brilliantly skipped past Tjark Scheller with a clever body feint before unleashing a powerful effort that Seimen once again kept out, preserving Paderborn’s slender advantage heading into the break.
Just three minutes into the second half, Seimen came to Paderborn’s rescue again. Corredor raced through one-on-one after being slipped in behind the defence, but the goalkeeper reacted superbly, making himself big and denying the forward with another outstanding stop.
Paderborn were then handed a golden opportunity to double their lead when Sergio López brought down Jonah Sticker inside the penalty area. Filip Bilbija stepped up to take the spot-kick, but the in-form forward could only rattle the crossbar, leaving Darmstadt firmly in the contest.
The visitors continued to ride their luck as Seimen delivered another remarkable moment in the 72nd minute, producing a miraculous double save to deny Lidberg. Moments later, Kai Klefisch struck the crossbar as Darmstadt somehow failed to find a way through despite wave after wave of pressure.
Having weathered the storm – and with news filtering through of Nürnberg’s late equaliser against Hannover – Paderborn finally wrapped up the victory in the 89th minute. Stefan Tigges showcased excellent hold-up play before backheeling into the path of Bilbija, who burst into the box and squared for veteran striker Sven Michel to calmly slot home, sparking jubilant celebrations among the travelling supporters as Paderborn secured a dramatic third-place finish.
