For a long time this season, Budu Zivzivadze hardly played anything and also had to deal with a suspension after a red card and knee problems that kept him sidelined for several months. But in what Sir Alex Ferguson once called “squeak time” (roughly translated: the moment when nerves are triggered; editor’s note), he has been completely there for Heidenheim, scoring three goals in FCH’s last three games in the lead-up to the season.
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He was there, among other times, in the “all or nothing” match against St. Pauli, putting his team 1:0 up after just three minutes, when he forced the ball over the line after a corner kick. In the end, Heidenheim won the match 2:0, a match in which a defeat would have already meant certain relegation. Thanks to this victory, not only has the inevitable been postponed, but the team at the bottom of the table has even come within four points of St. Pauli, who now occupy the relegation playoff place and can dare to hope again.
That means that at least the first of the two miracles that Frank Schmidt said would be necessary has probably already occurred. The fact that his team can still believe in survival with three rounds left is down to an incredible effort and Zivzivadze.
Between December 13, 2025 and April 11, 2026, they failed to win a single Bundesliga match. They often fell short by the finest of margins and even had good performances against some of the better teams. Really demoralizing, because it was never enough for three points. Until, yes, until Zivzivadze started scoring.
In the 3:1 victory over Union Berlin three weeks ago, Mathias Honsak first scored twice, but then Leopold Querfeld scored in the 75th minute, which for a team that had not won for so long could have caused panic. But Zivzivadze, who had come on minutes earlier, regained the two-goal lead almost immediately, and Heidenheim celebrated its first victory in what seemed like an eternity.
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In the next match they lost to Freiburg (2:1) shortly before the end, before the liberating victory against St. Pauli came. Suddenly, hope returns to the Swabian Alb.
But Frank Schmidt did not speak of two miracles without reason. This Saturday Bayern Munich awaits us, a team that has already shown this season against numerous rivals that miracles cannot be achieved against them. Not even when they lose a three-goal lead, like Mainz 05 did last weekend.
Schmidt still believes it: “We already beat them once, now we play in Munich. We have done well there many times,” he told ‘Sky’ after the last matchday. “If we want to accomplish something really crazy, then we need to accomplish something next week too. I know a lot of people will say you’re crazy for saying that right now, but I’m not going to go there just to make up the numbers.”
But if Heidenheim loses as expected, it will largely depend on the results of its rivals. Neither St. Pauli nor Wolfsburg can afford to win another game in the coming weeks and, from FCH’s point of view, the ideal would be not to add more points, because on the last day the two clubs face each other, which means that at least one of them is guaranteed to get points.
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But of course, they also have to mind their own business. If Zivzivadze wants to become a true “miracle” striker, he has to save his club in the last two games against Cologne and Mainz. If he does not succeed, he will be remembered simply as the man who allowed Heidenheim to say goodbye to the Bundesliga with dignity. On the other hand, this is probably already more than Frank Schmidt would have dared to dream at the beginning of March.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.