After the derby win against MSV Duisburg, Rot-Weiss Essen face a must-win game in the Lower Rhine Cup semi-final against Ratingen 04/19.
Three weeks to the day after the furious 4:0 win over Borussia Dortmund II, Rot-Weiss Essen played their next league game against MSV Duisburg: RWE survived this period without a game well and defeated the heavily relegation-threatened visitors 4:1 (1:1) in the derby in front of a sold-out Hafenstraße.
Essen head coach Christoph Dabrowski only made one change to his starting eleven compared to the Dortmund game: Nils Kaiser played for the suspended right-back Andreas Wiegel and celebrated his starting eleven debut in the 3rd division. Until he was substituted in the second half due to injury, Kaiser made a very committed impression in his unfamiliar position and repeatedly got involved in the attacking play.
His coach was satisfied with his performance: “He did a very good job. It was unusual for him, but we’ve had three weeks to try things out. He did very well in the friendly during the international break and his inclusion was 100% justified. He then had to come off injured.”
After the long break, the Red & Whites will now continue with a series of matches. One of the most important games of the season is already scheduled for Wednesday evening (April 10, 7.30 pm). In the Lower Rhine Cup semi-final, Rot-Weiss Essen will face Ratingen 04/19, second in the table in the Oberliga Niederrhein. Both teams have swapped home ground, which is why this semi-final will take place at Hafenstraße.
We’ll recover on Monday and then from Tuesday we’ll be fully focused on the semi-final against Ratingen – with the very clear aim of reaching the cup final.
Christoph Dabrowski
With a win, RWE would qualify for the final against rivals Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. The final will take place on May 25, with the winner advancing to the next DFB Cup season. The next step, however, is Ratingen 04/19. Dabrowski has a clear roadmap: “We’ll recover on Monday and then focus fully on the semi-final against Ratingen from Tuesday – with the very clear aim of reaching the cup final.”
Left-back and derby matchwinner Lucas Brumme also has one clear goal: “This is a super important game. We want to take the cup with us and know that it won’t be an easy task. We realized how difficult it was against Uerdingen. It can also be a game of patience. Of course, we definitely want to win. “