Matchday 21 of the Regionalliga West featured the top matchup of the season. Rot-Weiß Oberhausen hosted league-leading Fortuna Köln and suffered a decisive 1-3 loss.

After the first leg between Rot-Weiß Oberhausen and Fortuna Köln on August 16, 2025 (1-5), no one could have predicted that Matchday 21 would feature a top-of-the-table clash in the battle for promotion. The team led by RWO coach Sebastian Gunkel has staged an astonishing comeback and is now considered a contender for promotion to League Three.

Trailing by six points and having played one fewer game than league-leading Fortuna Cologne, the team had the chance to lay the groundwork for its continued comeback in the head-to-head matchup at Niederrhein Stadium. However, the “Kleeblätter” completely lost their edge and suffered a clear 1–3 defeat at the hands of the team from Cologne.

The home team made it far too easy for Cologne, especially in the first 15 minutes. The players in red were always a step too late—both on the ball and against their opponents.

Understandably, Gunkel had few positive words to say about the early going at the subsequent press conference: “We didn’t get off to a good start, and then we were down 0–2 early on. I do believe that was the difference. Two chances resulted in two goals. We could have handled both situations differently.”

We tried everything. Then came the 3–0 on the third chance—that’s what’s still setting us apart right now.

Sebastian Gunkel

After that, the game turned into a constant onslaught by Oberhausen. Fortuna Cologne, on the other hand, was able to comfortably sit back on its lead. Gunkel’s team struggled to come up with ways to break down Cologne’s compact defense.

“In the second half, it was clear that it would get very compact. Physicality also plays a role there. Fortuna has a strong presence in that area, which made it difficult to create chances. We tried everything. Then came the 3–0 on our third chance—that’s what still sets us apart right now,” explained Gunkel.

The lucky winner, however, came from the city of the cathedral. Coach Matthias Mink and his team further extended their lead at the top of the table. Fortuna is now nine points clear of the rest of the field. On a day “when everything clicked,” the coach was naturally delighted: “Huge praise to the team and the fans, who once again provided fantastic support. It was a dream day. But nothing has been achieved yet.”