Ahead of the clash between Dynamo Dresden and Rot-Weiss Essen, the home fans provoked their guests with a huge block banner.

Magnificent atmosphere in this traditional duel: Dynamo Dresden against Rot-Weiss Essen. Almost 2500 RWE fans accompanied their team to Saxony. The special train from Essen set off at 4 o’clock in the morning. No delays to speak of, everyone seemed to have made it to the guest block on time, which incidentally had more supporters than Hallesche FC had brought to the East derby.

This commanded great respect from some of the Dresden fans on site. After all, Halle’s fans would have had a much shorter journey: there are barely 150 kilometers between the two East German cities.

A large choreography was presented in the K-Block, SGD’s standing curve, at the start of the match. “The Guardian of Dark Germany” was written on the banner and a large block flag was raised, showing a knight with the Dynamo logo on the shield.

Also pictured: A skull wearing an RWE scarf. A few black smoke pots were also lit.

Inflatable bananas in the guest block

Background: On away trips to the east of Germany, Essen fans can sometimes be heard chanting “West Germany” – and Dresden fans also flirt with it. “East Germany” chants are part of this at SGD matches. “Asoziale Wessis” (“Asocial Wessis”) was also chanted in the curve on Saturday. There were also numerous inflatable bananas in the visitors’ block.

In sporting terms, there was a lot at stake for both teams. After three defeats in four games, Dresden’s lead over third place was just two points. It used to be ten points

Rot-Weiss Essen, on the other hand, saw an opportunity to close the gap on the top three after their 2-0 defeat to third-placed SSV Ulm. Coach Christoph Dabrowski was already talking about a “highlight” before the game. A sell-out crowd, great atmosphere – “these are the best games,” said Dabrowski, who extended his contract on Thursday until the summer of 2026.