The top match between EnePatzer and a missed penalty — Substitute Janssen saves a late point against Stuttgart
Thanks to substitute Marek Janssen, Rot-Weiss Essen managed to salvage a point at home against VfB Stuttgart II.
Rot-Weiss Essen salvaged a point against VfB Stuttgart II in a wild closing stretch to kick off Matchday 17 of the 3. Liga. Despite a lackluster performance, it was Marek Janssen who scored the late 1-1 (0-0) equalizer for RWE. Shortly before that, Ahmet Arslan had missed from the penalty spot after the visitors had capitalized on a slip by José-Enrique Ríos Alonso.
Essen, with Felix Wienand in goal for the ill Jakob Golz, could only watch as the strong visitors controlled both the ball and their opponents in the opening stages.
In the sixth minute, the first truly dangerous moment occurred: After Christopher Olivier beat Tobias Kraulich, he crossed into the middle, where Lauri Penna tried to push the ball over the line from close range—Wienand made a brilliant save to prevent his team from falling behind. Ten minutes later, he was there again: Mansour Ouro-Tagba had beaten Kraulich after a pass from Noah Darvich and fired from a tight angle.
And the Essen team? They didn’t get into the game until just over 20 minutes had passed—coincidentally, right when Stuttgart midfielder Darvich had to leave the field due to injury (23rd minute). The home team’s first scoring chances followed promptly: Kaito Mizuta’s header was blocked by a VfB defender, and Tim Moustier’s follow-up shot was deflected decisively out of bounds (28th minute). It was a rare foray forward.
Stuttgart continued to dominate play and controlled the midfield. However, that was as far as it went; the RWE defense held firm. The offense, on the other hand, was virtually nonexistent. A telling example: Torben Müsel shot from a good position, but the ball hit Jannik Mause’s arm.
Essen started the second half more aggressively and pressed higher up the field earlier. But VfB soon took control again: the nearly unstoppable Ouro-Tagba hit the post after a cross from Penna (50th minute).
RWE posed a threat only on counterattacks: Müsel’s shot, set up by Safi, was too tame, however (59th minute). It wasn’t until just past the hour mark that coach Uwe Koschinat’s team managed to establish some presence in the opponent’s half. They nearly succeeded: Müsel missed at the near post after a cross from Jannik Hofmann, and Kraulich’s spinning shot was stopped by Florian Hellstern.
The closing stages, however, belonged to the visitors once again: Efe Korkut suddenly appeared in front of Wienand, but the Golz goalkeeper made a strong save. A minute later, he had no chance: Rios Alonso, the last man, slipped after being pressured by Mohamed Sankoh. Stuttgart’s substitute capitalized on the opportunity and nutmegged Wienand to score a well-deserved 1-0 lead for VfB (80′).
RWE threw everything forward, and Stuttgart gave in! Sankoh tried to block a cross but handled the ball—penalty! Substitute Ahmet Arslan stepped up to take it but was denied by Hellstern, who had guessed the right corner (89′). But the ensuing corner was capitalized on: Mizuta crossed the second ball into the box, where Joker Janssen nodded it in for the 1–1 equalizer (90th minute). A fortunate finish for Essen in a wild closing phase.
Fortuna Cologne crushes Wuppertaler SV—Gladbach off to a blistering start
Fortuna Cologne had no trouble with Wuppertaler SV, while Borussia Mönchengladbach II won at Fortuna Düsseldorf II.
Fortuna Cologne kicked off Matchday 18 of the Regionalliga West with a comfortable 3-0 home win against Wuppertaler SV, entering 2026 as the league leaders.
In an uneventful first half, it was Kevin Brechmann who put the home team 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 push for more after the break, but their play was mostly lacking in conviction. Their crosses were rarely on target. It wasn’t until the final quarter-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 victory after a cross from substitute Jonas Michelbrink.
Fortuna Cologne now sits atop the standings with 37 points, though Schalke II (33 points), Rot-Weiß Oberhausen (33), and FC Gütersloh (32)—who face off on Saturday—have each played one fewer game.
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 kick, Fritz Fleck (7th) following a Düsseldorf mistake, 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 score an early goal to cut the lead (27th minute), but it didn’t seem to have much of an effect at first. Fortuna worked toward a second goal in the second half, but weren’t aggressive enough. Just shy of an hour into the game, Deniz Bindermann had the best chance when he stepped up to take a penalty for a handball—but the outstanding 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 contention at the top.
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 vs. Rot-Weiß Oberhausen (Saturday, 2:00 p.m.)
FC Schalke 04 II vs. SC Wiedenbrück
SV Rödinghausen vs. Sportfreunde Siegen
1. FC Köln II vs. 1. FC Bocholt
Borussia Dortmund II vs. SC Paderborn II (4:00 p.m.)
Bonner SC – VfL Bochum II (Sunday, 2 p.m.)
Dissatisfied Stuttgart II Coach – “The crowd was very quiet”
VfB Stuttgart’s U23 team impressively demonstrated at Rot-Weiss Essen why it is one of the strongest teams in the 3. Liga.
No! VfB Stuttgart’s reserve team was not satisfied with the 1-1 draw at Rot-Weiss Essen. The Bundesliga club’s reserves were simply too strong and too dominant to end up conceding a goal so late in the game.
“It was a top, top game for us. We played it out really well and had great chances. That’s why we’re very unhappy with the 1-1 draw. We didn’t let them intimidate us and stuck to our game plan,” Mansour Ouro-Tagba told “Magenta Sport.”
The player on loan from 1. FC Köln, who had found the back of the net five times in the six games leading up to the match in Essen, caused major problems for the Red-Whites. “Yes, I had my chances. As a striker, you always think you have to keep going because the next chance will come. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to score,” said the 20-year-old Togolese national team player.
His coach wasn’t entirely satisfied with the draw in Essen either. Nico Willig summed it up: “I’m not happy with the 1-1 draw. We played a great away game. We kept the opponent away from our goal for 87 minutes. There were no critical situations in front of our net. That was strong. Unfortunately, it only lasted until the 87th minute.”
The way we played has something to do with self-confidence. The crowd was very quiet, and I think that speaks in our favor.
Nico Willig
The fact that Stuttgart played with such maturity in Essen-Bergeborbeck didn’t surprise the VfB II coach at all. The fact that the Hafenstraße “cauldron” wasn’t one that Friday evening, on the other hand, did: but the visitors made sure of that.
“The way we played has something to do with confidence. The crowd was very quiet, and I think that speaks in our favor. We just needed to be a little more effective; then next time we’ll score two goals and head home as winners,” emphasized Willig, whose talented Stuttgart squad has 26 points after 17 matchdays and trails Rot-Weiss Essen by just four points.
For VfB Stuttgart II, which is now unbeaten in three games, the remaining matches this year include a home game against Hansa Rostock and then a season-ending trip to VfL Osnabrück. It remains to be seen whether the VfB prospects can silence the crowd at the Bremer Brücke as well.
That’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 victory at Fortuna Düsseldorf in front of 20,000 traveling fans and will thus finish Matchday 15 at the top of the table.
Vitalie Becker played a major role in this, sealing the deal in the 81st minute with his goal to make it 2–0 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, whom he’s been working diligently with. 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. We kept the opponent so far away from our goal for 87 minutes. There were no critical situations in front of our net. That was strong. Unfortunately, only 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 his 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 day-to-day 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 only had to make 15 saves. “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 start as the favorite against Wuppertal, which is threatened with relegation. “We’re aware of their strengths in transition play; they possess incredible speed. They’re 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.