The top match between EneThat’s why debut goal-scorer Vitalie Becker celebrated with his coach
With his debut goal, Vitalie Becker helped FC Schalke 04 secure its eleventh win of the season at Fortuna Düsseldorf. The 20-year-old thanks his coach.
Next matchday, next win, next celebration. Things couldn’t be going any better for FC Schalke 04 in the 2. Bundesliga right now. On Friday evening, the Royal Blues celebrated a 2-0 (1-0) away win at Fortuna Düsseldorf in front of 20,000 traveling fans and will thus finish Matchday 15 as league leaders.
Vitalie Becker played a major role in this, sealing the deal in the 81st minute with his 2–0 goal in a match where Fortuna Düsseldorf, despite being a man down, still had a chance to equalize.
Becker made a good run off a throw-in on the right side and received the ball on the left wing. From there, the 20-year-old cut into the penalty area, outwitted a defender, and finished like a seasoned top striker. It was the left back’s first professional goal. Notably, Becker didn’t run to the fans to celebrate, but to his coach, Miron Muslic. Why?
“I’m very grateful to him,” he told Sky, adding: “I wasn’t really on the radar before the season. The coach gave me the chance, and that’s why I wanted to thank him.”
As recently as this summer, there were rumors of a possible transfer. But Muslic wanted to keep the 20-year-old. “Something like that,” Becker laughed, explaining: “I went through preseason training, performed well, and gave it my all. He liked that, which is why things turned out the way they did.”
Just recently, the coach praised the development of the junior national team player, a process in which he’s been actively involved. Earlier this week, a video circulated on social media showing Muslic working with Becker on aerial duels and defending high balls. The coach took on the role of the opposing player.
“It’s not easy,” Becker said of Muslic, who is older but very physical. “But that’s the good thing about it—it’s close to game situations, and that helps me improve. The fact that he’s doing this is probably better because he was a forward and has a feel for how the opponent moves. That helps me a lot.”
Right now, this is also helping FC Schalke 04, which—after its eleventh win of the season—already one more than in 2024/2025—can dream of promotion. At least the fans are, because like his teammates, Becker gave the standard response: “We know things are going well. But we’re keeping our feet on the ground and taking it one game at a time.”
“An incredibly grueling game; we were dominated in many areas”
Rot-Weiss Essen fought hard to earn a lucky point against VfB Stuttgart II shortly before the end. Uwe Koschinat was quite satisfied with the 1-1 draw.
16,187 spectators came to the stadium on Hafenstraße on Friday evening to watch Rot-Weiss Essen win. Okay: Maybe not the 87 fans who came from Stuttgart. They saw a strong group of young players from VfB.
The RWE fans, too, will likely remember such highly talented gems as Mansour Ouro-Tagba, Samuele Di Benedetto, Lauri Penna, Noah Darvich, and Efe Korkut—and perhaps continue to follow their careers.
Because what the Stuttgart U23 team showed at Hafenstraße was truly commendable. Courageous, skillful, and dominant: that’s how Nico Willig’s team presented itself.
No wonder he had a hard time accepting the 1-1 draw. He told “Magenta Sport”: “I’m not satisfied with the 1-1. We played a great away game. For 87 minutes, we kept the opponent so far away from our goal. There were no critical situations in front of our net. That was impressive. Unfortunately, it only lasted until the 87th minute.”
That was an incredibly grueling game for us. We were outplayed in many areas. It was very exhausting for the team to constantly chase after Stuttgart during their many long stretches of possession. A point like this is definitely worth something at this stage of the season
Uwe Koschinat
Uwe Koschinat, on the other hand, was satisfied with the closing stages. Once again, he proved he had a knack for making the right substitutions by bringing on Marek Janssen. First, Ahmet Arslan missed a penalty, and in the very next play, substitute Janssen converted a cross to make it 1–1—his third goal as a substitute and Essen’s twelfth goal of the season off the bench.
Unlike Willig, Koschinat was quite content with the 1–1 draw. Even the RWE coach had to acknowledge Stuttgart’s dominance. “That was an incredibly grueling game for us. We were outplayed in many areas. It was very exhausting for the team to constantly chase after the Stuttgart players during their many long stretches of possession. A point like this is definitely worth something at this stage of the season,” Koschinat noted.
Felix Wienand, who filled in for the ailing Jakob Golz, received special praise: “He made some very strong saves in many situations. He only found out that morning that he’d be playing. That was really impressive.”
Fall champions wrap up the year against Wuppertal—best defense in the league
In the first 17 games of the Regionalliga West, Fortuna Köln lost only once and surged to first place. The winning streak began against Wuppertaler SV—their upcoming opponent.
Last weekend, Fortuna Köln capped off its strong first half of the season with a 4-0 victory over Sportfreunde Lotte, securing the fall championship of the Regionalliga West. But before the well-deserved winter break, the team from the south of the city still has one game left to play: on Friday (December 5, 7:30 p.m.), Wuppertaler SV will be the visiting team in Cologne.
Matthias Mink doesn’t want to celebrate the fall championship title too much. “You can’t buy anything with it. Still, of course, it gives us more confidence and makes us hold our heads high. None of this affects our daily work, but it’s a nice snapshot,” the head coach notes. Fortuna last won the fall championship in 2013, when Uwe Koschinat—now the coach of RWE—was on the Cologne bench.
One reason for the strong season so far, with just one loss (9 wins, 7 draws), is the solid defensive play. Goalkeeper Lennart Winkler has conceded only 15 goals. “I believe he’s a key factor for us, contributing to our stability and defensive cohesion. But that’s always a team effort,” explains Mink. “It’s a nice bonus for him and his goalkeeping, but overall, it’s the team that’s performing extremely well and always works very hard defensively. At times, they’ve also had the necessary luck—that’s part of it too—but looking at the 17 games as a whole, you can see that they’ve worked hard and the team has gelled.”
In the season opener, Fortuna secured its first points of the season with a 2–0 win at the Stadion am Zoo and will enter the match as the favorite against Wuppertal, which is fighting relegation. “We’re aware of their strengths in transition play; they possess incredible speed. It’s a team that plays soccer with great passion and puts in a lot of running,” warns Mink, who clearly wants to end the year with a win. “We know what to expect and are prepared. Needless to say, we want to win this first game of the second half of the season—especially this home game on a Friday night.”
After the final game of the first half of the season, the team will first undergo performance testing on Monday (December 8) before the pros head off on vacation. They’ll then reconvene in the new year according to individual plans. Training is set to resume on January 4.
Former Siegen Coach to 1. FC Bocholt? – “A Very Interesting Prospect”
1. FC Bocholt is looking for a new head coach. One name being considered is Thorsten Nehrbauer, former coach of Sportfreunde Siegen.
Following Christopher Schorch’s resignation as head coach of 1. FC Bocholt, the club is searching for a new coach. Thorsten Nehrbauer, former coach of Sportfreunde Siegen, could be a candidate for the coaching position at the team currently ranked tenth in the Regionalliga West.
In addition to Nehrbauer, other names are being mentioned at Hünting. According to information from this editorial team, other leading candidates include Lars Fleischer, former assistant coach of Rot-Weiss Essen, and Farat Toku, formerly of SV Rödinghausen—as reported by Forecasting.
At the end of October this year, Sportfreunde Siegen parted ways with successful coach Nehrbauer, who led the club to the fourth division during the 2024–25 season. Shortly thereafter, Siegen introduced former MSV coach Boris Schommers as their new head coach.
The decision to dismiss Nehrbauer was met with confusion by many fans and observers. Nehrbauer himself, however, has already put the matter completely behind him and has nothing to reproach himself for—neither on the field, professionally, nor personally.
For me and many other coaches, Bocholt is nevertheless a very interesting opportunity because they have developed exceptionally well in recent years and intend to continue their sustainable growth in the future
Thorsten Nehrbauer
“After my very surprising departure from Sportfreunde Siegen, I first focused on taking care of my physical well-being. Anyone who knows me knows that I always give 120 percent, and as a result, some things—such as proper nutrition and physical fitness—sometimes get neglected,” Nehrbauer revealed. “At the end of the day, it’s not just important for the players to be fit—the coach has to be, too.”
The 47-year-old coach went on to explain that he wants to be back on the sidelines in the near future and is ready for a new role with an ambitious Regionalliga club. Regarding the rumors surrounding 1. FC Bocholt, Nehrbauer said that while no talks had taken place yet, he had already noticed that his name was being mentioned in this context.
“Of course, at the end of the day, it’s always nice and exciting when such rumors circulate, but so far there has been absolutely no contact,” Nehrbauer emphasized. “For me and many other coaches, Bocholt is nonetheless a very interesting prospect because they’ve developed exceptionally well in recent years and intend to continue growing sustainably in the future. They’ve built up a good infrastructure and done a great job overall, so it’s a very interesting option.”
It remains to be seen whether Nehrbauer will ultimately take over the coaching position at Hünting or if the club will choose someone else. The fact is, however, that a coach with his profile is unlikely to remain on the market for very long.
Joint Statement on Safety and Fan Culture
The North Rhine-Westphalia clubs from Cologne, Bochum, and Gelsenkirchen are calling on policymakers to find joint solutions regarding stadium safety. The three clubs reject collective penalties.
In recent weeks, many first-division stadiums have observed silence—at least for the first twelve minutes. Numerous fan groups had previously criticized planned measures by policymakers at the upcoming Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK) in Bremen as amounting to blanket suspicion.
Some points have since been taken off the table. According to Bremen’s Senator of the Interior, Ulrich Mäurer (SPD), personalized tickets, widespread ID checks, facial recognition, AI surveillance, and pyrotechnics are not on the agenda for the three-day conference.
This has somewhat taken the heat out of the issue. On Thursday, 1. FC Köln, FC Schalke, and VfL Bochum issued a joint statement regarding the current debate on stadium security and the deliberations of the Conference of Interior Ministers.
The statement notes that, for the clubs signing this statement, a vibrant and diverse fan culture is an integral part of their clubs and traditions. At the same time, the protection of all stadium visitors is, of course, an absolute priority. And these two aspects go hand in hand.
Only a continuous, fact-based dialogue can strike a balance between high security and a vibrant fan culture.
Schalke, VfL Bochum, 1. FC Köln
The statement explains: “In the run-up to the IMK, we are already in close communication with political leaders—particularly at the state level. Likewise, the North Rhine-Westphalia clubs are coordinating closely with one another, with the associations, and with the relevant bodies of German soccer. Our primary concern is to make the discussion more objective. For we are convinced that only a continuous, fact-based dialogue can strike a balance between high security and a vibrant fan culture.”
The clubs emphasize that the stadium experience in German stadiums is safe, and that the numbers speak for themselves. However, they understand that policymakers are also under pressure due to the large number of law enforcement officers required to monitor the games.
The three clubs write: “In the Federal-State Open Working Group (BLoAG), these issues were discussed in depth between the DFB, the DFL, the ministries of the interior, and law enforcement agencies. For us, one thing is clear: stadium bans must be based solely on verifiable facts. They are subject to the principle of proportionality, and the rights of those affected must be safeguarded. There must be no automatic rule whereby mere initial suspicion alone results in a stadium ban.”
In general, the three clubs oppose collective punishments and appeal to policymakers to find solutions together. Ultimately, safety must be ensured, but the “unique fan culture” must be preserved.
The full text of the statement
Joint Statement by North Rhine-Westphalian Soccer Clubs on the Current Debate Regarding Stadium Safety and the Deliberations of the Conference of Interior Ministers.
The soccer clubs in North Rhine-Westphalia are following the nationwide discussion on stadium safety, fan culture, and possible new measures by the Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK) with great attention. For the signatories of this statement, one thing is clear: the vibrant and diverse fan culture is an essential part of our clubs and our shared soccer tradition. At the same time, the safety of all stadium visitors is our top priority. Both aspects go hand in hand and must not be pitted against one another.
In the run-up to the IMK, we are already in close communication with political leaders—particularly at the state level. Likewise, the NRW clubs are coordinating closely with one another, with the associations, and with the relevant bodies of German soccer. Our primary goal is to keep the discussion objective.
For we are convinced that only a continuous, fact-based dialogue can strike a balance between high security and a vibrant fan culture.
The current debate is taking place even though the stadium experience in Germany is demonstrably safe—as evidenced by figures from the Central Information Office for Sports Operations (ZIS). At the same time, we recognize that the heavy deployment of police resources poses challenges for policymakers. However, the measures currently under discussion go far beyond what is necessary and would deeply encroach upon fan culture, club autonomy, and the rights of visitors.
These issues were discussed in depth within the Federal-State Open Working Group (BLoAG) by the DFB, the DFL, state interior ministries, and police authorities. For us, one thing is clear: stadium bans must be based solely on verifiable facts. They are subject to the principle of proportionality, and the rights of those affected must be safeguarded. There must be no automatic mechanism whereby mere initial suspicion alone results in a stadium ban.
Furthermore, stadium safety is a local responsibility. Each venue bears a special responsibility toward its own fans, the local community, and soccer as a whole.
We view the agreed-upon strengthening of the clubs’ safety and prevention efforts positively. This begins where security actually takes shape: through the coordinated cooperation of all local partners.
We expressly oppose blanket and collective restrictions—such as comprehensive ticket personalization, curtailing the work of local stadium ban commissions, or general infringements on the rights of visiting fans. Instead, we advocate for evidence-based, nuanced measures and for trust-based cooperation between clubs, fan projects, fan communities, authorities, and associations. This is the only way to achieve prevention, effectiveness, and acceptance in equal measure.
We call on political decision-makers to work with us to shape this path. Developments in recent years clearly show that objectivity, prevention, and local responsibility yield more sustainable results than blanket tightening of regulations. The goal of all parties involved must be to further strengthen safety while preserving the unique fan culture that has shaped German soccer for decades.
We will follow the ongoing process of the Conference of Interior Ministers constructively, critically, and resolutely—with the clear goal of reconciling safety and fan culture and conducting the debate on a factual basis.
1. FC Köln
Schalke 04
VfL Bochum
Rösler on Strompf: “We never let anyone in the family down”
It didn’t take long to identify the unlucky player of the evening at VfL Bochum. Philipp Strompf apologized in the locker room for his mistakes, but everyone else had nothing but words of encouragement for him.
Philipp Strompf was the unlucky player on Wednesday evening when VfL Bochum was eliminated from the cup by VfB Stuttgart. First, he caused the own goal that made it 0–1; shortly before halftime, he was sent off following a VAR review for a professional foul.
It was a rough night, but no one blamed him. On the contrary: In the locker room, the center back apologized to the team.
Bochum’s coach, Uwe Rösler, explained afterward: “I was moved by how he said it, how he conveyed it. And I think that really resonated with everyone in the locker room.”
He added: “He’s family, and we never let anyone in the family down. You can make mistakes, but what matters is how you bounce back from them. I have no doubts about Pippo in that regard.”
Left back Maximilian Wittek also came to the coach’s defense. “Of course Pippo was down, but it happens—you have an off day. We’ll lift his spirits quickly now; that’s what a team is for.