Hertha BSC suffered a significant setback in their promotion bid, losing 2-5 away to SC Paderborn. Paderborn established an early lead through Sebastian Klaas in the seventh minute, with Tjark Scheller and Nick Bätzner extending their advantage before halftime, despite a brief Hertha response from Luca Schuler. Mika Baur's penalty and Raphael Obermair's goal further solidified Paderborn's dominance. Josip Brekalo scored a consolation goal for Hertha in the 70th minute, but it was insufficient. This defeat leaves Hertha ten points adrift of the promotion playoff spot, while Paderborn now sits fourth, three points behind league leaders Schalke. Meanwhile, Hannover 96 dropped crucial points with a 0-0 draw against bottom-placed Dynamo Dresden.