Oberliga club SV Sonsbeck came close to causing a sensation against Rot-Weiss Essen in the cup, but ultimately fell just short in the final minutes.
SV Sonsbeck had the game of the year ahead of them on Saturday. In front of 2,000 fans at Willy-Lemkens-Sportpark, the Oberliga team faced defending champions and overwhelming favorites Rot-Weiss Essen in the quarterfinals of the Niederrhein Cup.
And the underdogs almost pulled off a huge upset: thanks to a lightning goal from Klaus Keisers, Sonsbeck led 1-0 until the 87th minute, but ultimately had to admit defeat 1-3. The surprise did not materialize, but SVS still put in an excellent performance.
When you lose so late in the game, disappointment naturally prevails at first. “As an Oberliga team, we put in a tremendous performance and, as a small club, had a third-division team on the brink of defeat. We are devastated, but I am proud of every single player,” emphasized head coach Heinrich Losing after the last-minute defeat.
The 45-year-old said of the game: “We knew we needed a bit of luck, and we had that in certain situations until the 87th minute. Our early lead was obviously a dream start. We didn’t allow them many chances in the first half and were always dangerous with our two strikers Klaus and ‘Niki’. In the second half, strength also played a role. Our goalkeeper kept us in the game and RWE put us under more pressure at the back.”
So it’s very bitter that we lost in the end. Everything was prepared, but unfortunately the last few minutes weren’t on our side. But it was a great fight.
Heinrich Losing.
The decisive moment came 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. Had the 23-year-old scored, Sonsbeck would have advanced to the Niederrhein Cup semi-finals instead of RWE.
Losing lamented the situation afterwards: “Niki did everything right in that scene, but then unfortunately shot at the goalkeeper. That would have made it very difficult for RWE. So it’s very bitter that we lost in the end. Everything was prepared, but unfortunately the last few minutes weren’t on our side. But it was a great fight. The Essen fans behaved superbly and our spectators cheered us on fantastically. We’re leaving the pitch with our heads held high.”
After the big game against RWE, SV Sonsbeck will return to league action next week. So far, the eighth-placed team in the Oberliga Niederrhein is having a solid season with 24 points from 14 games and no relegation worries. Their next opponent is Sportfreunde Niederwenigern. On November 23 (5 p.m.), SVS will be the away team against the bottom-placed team.