Third division side Preußen Münster defeated Rot-Weiss Essen 2:1 and the home side enjoyed a sell-out crowd.
It was already clear around a week before the head-to-head clash in the 3rd division that all tickets for the western clash between Preußen Münster and Rot-Weiss Essen would be sold out. It was therefore no surprise that the Preußen stadium announcer announced a sell-out crowd of 11,744 at Hammer Straße during the second half.
After the Westphalia derby against Arminia Bielefeld (2:1) the previous week, this was the second home game in a row that the club had enjoyed a sell-out crowd. That had not happened in Münster for a long time.
But it had also been a long time since a home game between the Prussians and RWE had been as well attended as it was on this Sunday afternoon – to be precise, the last time was over 30 years ago. On June 13, 1993, Münster faced Essen in front of 21,700 fans at the Preußenstadion.
Back then, the promotion round was about promotion to the 2nd division. With goals from Harald Kügler, Oliver Grein and Christian Dondera, RWE won the second leg 3:1 and celebrated their return to the second division.
Since then, there have never been more than 10,200 fans (2002) for this western clash in Münster – until January 28, 2024. 11,744 fans filled Hammer Straße to the last seat. More spectators are currently not permitted. After 94 intense minutes, only the Eagles were allowed to cheer: Münster celebrated a deserved 2:1 home victory
We set our sights high and were extremely supported by our fans. In terms of body language, being ‘on fire’ in a derby like this and throwing everything into it, that wasn’t at the level we’re capable of. The boys are better at that.
Christoph Dabrowski
Essen’s head coach Christoph Dabrowski, who praised the fans’ support, was annoyed afterwards: “That doesn’t feel good. We set out to do a lot and were extremely supported by our fans. In terms of body language, being ‘on fire’ in a derby like this and throwing everything into it, that wasn’t at the level we’re capable of. The boys can do that better. “