Adler Union Frintrop remains winless for the seventh game in a row. They suffered a particularly painful 1-2 defeat against 1. FC Monheim.

DJK Adler Union Frintrop is still unable to secure three points in its seventh consecutive game. In the Oberliga duel against 1. FC Monheim, the Essen team suffered a 1-2 defeat that could have been prevented.

It took a while for the game to really get going in the first half. Even though Tom Hirsch put the visitors ahead in the 23rd minute, there were few other big chances for either side. In addition, Essen’s play in the first 45 minutes was marred by a number of individual technical errors, which Union coach Marcel Cornelissen criticized: “You could see in many of the moves that the opponents were usually a tad better individually. What we missed in the first half, they managed to convert.”

Shortly after the break, Union keeper Nils Reiners was beaten for the second time when Talha Demir took aim from a good 25 meters out. “That’s usually the knockout blow for a team that got their asses kicked last week,” Cornelissen feared after the score went to 2-0. But he was proven wrong. “The boys fought their way back.”

As a result, Essen flipped a switch, leading to more offensive strength and possession. Frintrop was then rewarded in the 69th minute when Dominik Stukator scored at the far post after a spectacular dribble by Yan Montas.

“The 2-1,” says Cornelissen, “woke us up. Mentally, it was very difficult to come back after going 2-0 down. We showed the reaction and heart we wanted to show.”

You have to show more heart, more passion, and more enthusiasm than everyone else to steer games like this in the right direction.

Marcel Cornelissen

In the end, it wasn’t enough to equalize. It was bitter from Frintrop’s point of view, because there was no shortage of chances. “The heavy burden was gone. We had nothing left to lose, and suddenly things that hadn’t been working before started working again. It’s a shame we didn’t reward ourselves in the end. I think it would have been possible.”

After the 1-7 defeat against SC St. Tönis on the last match day, the Union coach demanded a response from his team. According to Cornelissen, the team delivered. “The willingness was of course top notch and much better than last week. The boys lay down on the ground at the end because they couldn’t do any more.”

With 13 points, Adler Union Frintrop remains in a relegation spot. A mixed starting position. However, Cornelissen knows what it takes to get back on track. “You have to show more heart, more passion, and more enthusiasm than everyone else to steer games like this in the right direction. We have the passion, and then you just have to hope that the ball falls at your feet before it’s 2-0,” the Union coach concluded.