VfB Homberg earned a well-deserved draw against Germania Ratingen 04/19. Coach Stefan Janßen was pleased with his team’s performance.

Under the floodlights at PCC Stadium, VfB Homberg managed to halt the winning streak of league leaders Ratingen 04/19 in the Oberliga Niederrhein. In freezing temperatures, the spectators had to settle for a scoreless draw.

Both teams can certainly live with the result, as Homberg achieved a respectable result by earning a point against the league leaders. The visitors, on the other hand, have extended their lead over their closest pursuer to four points and took at least one point away from a difficult opponent on the road.

The omens were very different, as VfB had failed to win three league games in a row. Coach Stefan Janßen’s team gained some confidence in the Lower Rhine Cup against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, when the Duisburg side lost only narrowly 1-2 and put in a good performance. Nevertheless, it was not exactly a triumphant experience.

On the other side was Ratingen 04/19, the league leaders. Coach Damian Apfeld’s squad had recently celebrated four consecutive wins in the league. The visitors wanted to showcase that confidence right away and started the match with intense pressure. However, the home team held their ground, and the first half remained a closely contested affair. Scoring opportunities were scarce, as both teams were prone to mistakes in the attacking third. Credit is also due to the defensive lines, which did a good job on both sides.

In the second half, Ratingen initially regained the upper hand. But VfB goalkeeper Leon Schübel was unbeatable that evening. Immediately after the restart, the goalkeeper made a save against Giuliano Zimmerling, and just under a quarter of an hour later, he had to prove his skills once again against Rinor Rexha. Umut Yildiz also had a good chance (56th minute).

The Homberg team weathered the visitors’ period of pressure thanks to their strong goalkeeper before Janßen’s squad was able to create some chances of their own. A follow-up shot from a free kick by Luca Thissen was deflected and narrowly missed the target. In the end, the match ended in a 0-0 draw, a result that reflected the overall performance.

“I’m especially happy for our goalkeeper and our defense that we finally kept a clean sheet again. That was a focused performance,” Janßen said after the match, adding: “We showed the league leaders what we’re capable of.”

The conditions were particularly difficult, as not only did the near-freezing temperatures take their toll on the players, but the field conditions were also less than ideal due to the weather over the past few days. “Considering these conditions, we saw a good soccer match,” said the VfB coach.

Homberg’s next match is on Sunday, November 30, at 3:00 p.m., away at Blau-Weiß Dingden. The league leaders from Ratingen will host Holzheimer SG on Friday, November 28, at 7:30 p.m.