Fortuna Cologne had no trouble with Wuppertaler SV, while Borussia Mönchengladbach II won at Fortuna Düsseldorf II.
Fortuna Cologne kicked off the 18th matchday of the Regionalliga West with a comfortable 3-0 home win against Wuppertaler SV, entering 2026 as the league leaders.
In a low-key first half, it was Kevin Brechmann who put the home side on the path to victory with a long-range shot shortly before halftime. Eighteen-year-old Fotios Adamidis, who surprisingly started in goal in place of Michael Luyambula, was powerless to stop it.
Cologne continued to dominate the game after the break, but their play was mostly lacking in conviction. Their crosses were rarely precise. It wasn’t until the final quarter of an hour that the league leaders pulled away: Enzo Wirtz scored his 11th goal of the season from just under 16 meters to make it 2-0, and David Haider finally sealed the 3-0 final score following a cross from substitute Jonas Michelbrink.
Fortuna Cologne now sits atop the table with 37 points, though Schalke II (33 points), Rot-Weiß Oberhausen (33), and FC Gütersloh (32)—who face off on Saturday—have played one fewer match.
Fortuna Cologne: Winkler – Afamefuna (84. Derbali), Fünger, Haider, Garcia, Geerkens, Strauch, Thier (77. Michelbrink), Garcia (77. Stanilewicz), Bornemann (62. Al Ghaddioui), Brechmann (84. Statovci), Wirtz
Wuppertaler SV: Adamidis – Nishimura, Hartmann, Bielitza, Miyamoto – Rebronja, Müller (69. Arabaci), Aydogan, Bouzraa, Oostwoud (59. Wagemann), Kamo (59. Kleiner)
Goals: 1:0 Brechmann (43.), 2:0 Wirtz (76.), 3:0 Haider (80.)
Fortuna Düsseldorf II – Borussia Mönchengladbach II 1:3 (1:3)
Borussia Mönchengladbach’s reserve team won 3:1 (3:1) at Fortuna Düsseldorf II thanks to a lightning-fast start.
Lion Schweers (1st) off a corner, Fritz Fleck (7th) following a Düsseldorf error, and Kilian Sauck (11th) with a curling shot ensured that the young Foals were already leading 3-0 after just under a quarter of an hour.
Hamza Anhari did pull one back early (27th), but it had little immediate impact. Fortuna worked for a second goal in the second half, though they weren’t clinical enough. Just past the hour mark, Deniz Bindermann had the best chance when he stepped up for a handball penalty—but the strong Maximilian Neutgens made the save.
The score remained 1-3, leaving Düsseldorf stuck near the bottom of the table. Gladbach, on the other hand, stays in touch with the top of the table.
Fortuna Düsseldorf II: Czako – Vu (86. Zentler), Brodersen, Egouli, Mirgartz (86. Tönnies), Latza, Savic (34. Nikolaou), Affo, Bindemann (71. Garlipp), Anhari, Quiala Tito
Borussia Mönchengladbach II: Neutgens – Dasbach, Schweers (J.K. Uwakhonye), J. L. Uwakhonye, Cirpan, Fleck, Sauck (70. Berko), Stange, Vidic, Adozi, Michaelis
The other matches of Matchday 18 in the Regionalliga West
FC Gütersloh – Rot-Weiß Oberhausen (Saturday, 2 p.m.)
FC Schalke 04 II – SC Wiedenbrück
SV Rödinghausen – Sportfreunde Siegen
1. FC Köln II – 1. FC Bocholt
Borussia Dortmund II – SC Paderborn II (4 p.m.)
Bonner SC – VfL Bochum II (Sunday, 2 p.m.)