Oberligist SV Sonsbeck came close to an upset in the cup against Rot-Weiss Essen, only a few minutes were missing in the end.
On Saturday, SV Sonsbeck faced the game of the year. In front of 2,000 fans at the Willy-Lemkens-Sportpark, the Oberliga team faced defending champions and favorites Rot-Weiss Essen in the Lower Rhine Cup quarterfinals.
And the underdog almost pulled off the huge upset: Klaus Keisers’ lightning goal put Sonsbeck 1-0 up until the 87th minute, but in the end they had to admit defeat with a score of 1-3. The surprise didn’t happen, but SVS still put on an excellent performance.
Of course, when you lose so late, the disappointment is overwhelming at first. “We showed a tremendous performance as a fifth division team and, as a small club, had a third-division team on the verge of defeat. We are heartbroken, but I am proud of every single player,” emphasized head coach Heinrich Losing after the last-minute defeat.
The 45-year-old commented on the course of the game: “We knew we needed a bit of luck – and we had that in certain situations until the 87th minute. Of course, our early lead was a dream start. We didn’t concede that much in the first half and were always dangerous with our two strikers Klaus and ‘Niki’. In the second half, our strength also played a role. Our goalkeeper kept us in the game well and RWE pushed us back more.”
So it is very bitter that we still lose in the end. Everything was prepared, but unfortunately the last few minutes were not on our side. But it was a great fight.
Heinrich Losing.
The decisive scene then occurred in the 79th minute: the agile Niklas Binn had a huge chance to make it 2-0, but he failed to beat Essen keeper Felix Wienand from close range. If the 23-year-old had scored, it would have been Sonsbeck, not RWE, in the Lower Rhine Cup semi-finals.
Losing regretted this situation in retrospect: “Niki actually does everything right in the scene, but then unfortunately shoots at the goalkeeper. It would have been very difficult for RWE then. So it’s very bitter that we still lose in the end. Everything was prepared, but unfortunately the last few minutes were not on our side. But it was a great fight. The Essen fans behaved superbly, and our spectators cheered us on fantastically. We hold our heads high.”
After the big game against RWE, SV Sonsbeck will return to the league routine next week. So far, the eighth-placed team in the Oberliga Niederrhein has played a solid season without any relegation worries, with 24 points from 14 games. The next opponent is called: Sportfreunde Niederwenigern. On November 23 (5 p.m.), SVS will be the guest at the bottom of the league.