2. Bundesliga: Zivzivadze header earns Heidenheim narrow win at Fürth

Budu Zivzivadze’s early header proved decisive as 1. FC Heidenheim held on for a 1-0 victory away to Greuther Fürth on Sunday afternoon.

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

1. FC Heidenheim secured their third victory of the 2026/27 2. Bundesliga campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win away to Greuther Fürth on Sunday.

Budu Zivzivadze’s first-half header was enough to separate the two sides, with Frank Schmidt’s side showing impressive defensive resilience to preserve their lead despite Fürth controlling large periods of the contest.

The result sees Heidenheim move into the top three after four matches, while Fürth suffer their second defeat of the season.

The hosts started brightly and almost opened the scoring inside the opening 10 minutes.

Felix Klaus found space inside the Heidenheim penalty area before getting a shot away, but his effort was unable to beat goalkeeper Thomas Dähne.

Heidenheim soon demonstrated why they have been among the division’s more dangerous sides in attack, however, and they took the lead with their first major opportunity.

In the 12th minute, Marcel Costly delivered an inviting cross into the Fürth penalty area. Zivzivadze rose highest and directed a powerful header beyond Florian Hellstern to put the visitors 1-0 ahead.

The goal forced Fürth to chase the game, with the hosts continuing to see more of the ball and looking to find a route through Heidenheim’s compact defensive structure.

Felix Klaus remained a constant threat, while Luca Itter came particularly close to an equaliser in the 32nd minute. The Fürth defender found space in a dangerous position but could not find a way past Dähne.

Heidenheim, meanwhile, were content to defend deep and look for opportunities on the counterattack.

The visitors went into the break with their narrow advantage intact, despite Fürth arguably having enjoyed the better of the opening 45 minutes.

Heidenheim almost doubled their lead not long after the restart. Alessandro Vogt found himself in a promising position in the 50th minute, but he was unable to beat Hellstern and put the game beyond Fürth.

Just five minutes later, Oualid Mhamdi was presented with another opportunity as Heidenheim looked to exploit the space left by an increasingly attacking Fürth side. However, the visitors again failed to find the decisive second goal.

Fürth continued to dominate possession as the half progressed, but Heiko Vogel’s side struggled to turn their territorial advantage into clear-cut opportunities.

The hosts introduced Jordan Siebatcheu and Omar Sillah during the closing stages in an attempt to inject fresh attacking impetus into the game.

Despite the changes, Fürth were unable to seriously threaten Dähne’s goal.

Heidenheim’s defensive organisation remained impressive as the visitors protected their lead, with their back line repeatedly dealing with Fürth’s crosses and attacking moves.

The final stages saw Fürth continue to push forward in search of an equaliser, but their finishing ultimately let them down.

Heidenheim survived the pressure and secured a valuable clean sheet, with the 1-0 victory marking their first shutout of the campaign.

The result represents another positive step for Heidenheim following their relegation from the Bundesliga last season. Three wins from their opening four league matches have put Schmidt’s side firmly among the early promotion contenders.

For Fürth, meanwhile, the defeat leaves them with four points from their opening four matches. Despite producing some of the more attractive football during Sunday’s encounter, the hosts were ultimately punished for failing to make their opportunities count.