Third-division club Rot-Weiss Essen ended their winning streak against Borussia Dortmund II (2:0). Simon Engelmann celebrated an extremely successful comeback.

The afternoon could not have gone better for Simon Engelmann. The Rot-Weiss Essen goal scorer was substituted in the 81st minute of the 2-0 home win against Borussia Dortmund II and celebrated his comeback after a persistent tonsillitis. Less than four minutes later, Engelmann crossed accurately to Björn Rother, who scored with his head to make it 2-0.

It was the 33-year-old’s fourth assist. And this despite the fact that the veteran missed a total of eight games due to injury or illness. With four goals and four assists, he is RWE’s top scorer. “That was quite an afternoon,” said Engelmann with a smile.

However, the Essen centre-forward was not quite at 100 per cent yet. That’s why he could only make a short appearance against BVB’s U23.

Engelmann hopes to be fully fit again by the upcoming away game at FC Ingolstadt (25 February, 2 p.m.), as he explained in an interview after the game: “I still need the week. I was really flat for eleven days and took antibiotics. I noticed that in the game after the first sprints. I really need a few more days of training to get back into the swing of things. “

The crowd favourite was already celebrated by his own fans when warming up. Even after the final whistle, chants of “Simon Engelmann” could be heard all the way into the catacombs. The fans’ recognition did not leave the family man unscathed. His contract expires at the end of the season. Whether he will wear the Essen jersey in the coming season is still open.

No decision has been made yet. I know what kind of standing I have with the fans here. It’s always good to be celebrated. You can’t give up that easily. Nothing has been decided yet.

Simon Engelmann.

This was confirmed by Engelmann, who was directly involved in 87 goals (68 goals, 19 assists) in 104 competitive games for Rot-Weiss Essen and was top scorer twice: “No decision has been made yet. I know what kind of standing I have with the fans here. It’s always good to be celebrated. You can’t give up that easily. Nothing has been decided yet. We still have a lot to do in the next few weeks to make sure we don’t slip down. Against Dortmund, we won an important game against a rival. Then we’ll see what the future brings. “