Rot-Weiss Essen goes into the first international break of the 2025/2026 season with five points from four games. The 2-3 defeat against Aachen was a dampener for the Rot-Weiss euphoria.

A black eye and a cut: Lucas Brumme was marked by the game against Alemannia Aachen. His face was actually symbolic of Rot-Weiss Essen’s 2-3 defeat against a very strong Aachen side.

In the end, RWE got off lightly, so to speak, because it could have been a thrashing with six, seven or even more goals conceded. Tobias Kraulich said: “They could have scored ten goals – and that’s without the three penalties.”

Kraulich’s defensive colleague Lucas Brumme didn’t see it quite so harshly, but he was also disappointed due to RWE’s poor performance.

“We were okay at the beginning and then we had the chance through Ramien Safi. From that moment on, there was a turning point. We lost the ball, conceded the penalty and the goal. Then we were out of the game. It didn’t go at all how we wanted it to. In the second half, we played better and pushed forward. But of course, we were also very lucky that Jakob Golz saved us a few times. I think Aachen had three or four clear chances on our goal in the second half alone,” said the 25-year-old.

It’s difficult to make predictions in the 3rd division. You always have to take it game by game. First we have to break the 43 or 46 points barrier, then we’ll see. Sure, we have a good, large squad, which is why everyone is counting on us. But we really should take it week by week. That’s what made us strong in the second half of the season.

Lucas Brumme

Compared to many of his teammates, Brumme still put in a decent performance. He repeatedly tried his well-known runs down the wing and crosses. But he could hardly find anyone to receive them. In the end, he too had to accept the first defeat of the season, but he immediately looked ahead again.

Brumme said: “A defeat like this doesn’t hurt so much on the fourth match day. But, of course, it will hurt for a few days. We will now make good use of the international break and work through everything. Then we will prepare for Regensburg.”

Brumme also knows that RWE is a big favorite for the title, but he also emphasizes: “It’s difficult to make predictions in the 3rd division. You always have to take it game by game. First we have to break the 43 or 46 points barrier, then we’ll see. Of course, we have a good, large squad, which is why everyone is counting on us. But we really should take it week by week. That’s what made us strong in the second half of the season.”