Two matches were played on Thursday evening to conclude the second round of the Essen District Cup. There were no surprises.

In a completely unexpected move, David Odonkor was relieved of his duties as head coach of Landesliga club BW Mintard on Monday evening. “The sporting development is currently at risk,” said sporting director Thorsten Ketzer.

Thomas Cvetkovic will take over as head coach on an interim basis until winter. He will be assisted by Daniel ‘Molle’ Molitor, a Mintard veteran, as assistant coach. Just three days after this decision, the duo faced their first task:

Mintard was away to A-League side SuS Niederbonsfeld in the district cup. The clear objective was, of course, to reach the round of 16 – and this goal was achieved in style. The Mülheim side thrashed their hopelessly outclassed opponents 7-0. The Landesliga favorites were already 5-0 up after 34 minutes.

Moreno Mandel and Daiki Hara were the visitors’ top scorers with two goals each. In the second half, Mintard took their foot off the gas a little, but still managed to score two more goals. The difference between the two teams was clear to see at all times.

Rellinghausen also prevails, Frintrop puts up a good fight

On Thursday, another match between a district league team and a regional league club took place: SC Frintrop, Rot-Weiss Essen II’s biggest rival in the Kreisliga A, faced ESC Rellinghausen, the 2022 title holders, at home.

In this duel, too, the favorites lived up to their role. However, it was much closer. It took three goals in the second half for the state league team to win 3-0. Frintrop kept the game completely open until the 66th minute, but Berkan Eken’s opening goal was the catalyst for Rellinghausen.