Rot-Weiss Essen began the 2023/2024 season with a 2-1 defeat at Hallescher FC and ended the 2023 season with a win against HFC.
Rot-Weiss Essen simply had a run in the 2023/2024 season – as the last game of the year proved. RWE turned a 0:2 deficit into a 3:2 victory – madness!
Nobody cared that this took place in front of a season-minus crowd of 14,887 fans. To date, the fewest spectators (14,907) had made the pilgrimage to Hafenstraße against SC Verl in 2023/2024. Those who didn’t come this time were to regret it. Because RWE bid farewell to 2023 with an emotional three-pointer.
Christoph Dabrowski’s team got off to a good start on a deep pitch at the Hafenstraße stadium and also had the first big chance.
A superb combination from Essen via Isaiah Young, Vinko Sapina and Lucas Brumme, who released Ron Berlinski in the middle, did not find its way into the Halle goal. Berlinski (3) did not hit the ball properly and failed to beat HFC goalkeeper Sebastian Müller
RWE continued in fine fashion: Torben Müsel served Cedric Harenbrock- (15), who played the ball back to Young, but the American slipped and got caught by the HFC keeper with his shot.
All good things come in threes – but not on this Tuesday evening for Rot-Weiss Essen: Marvin Obuz curled the ball towards the Halle box from 18 meters, but his attempt went just wide. Lucky for HFC!
3:0 for RWE in the shooting opportunities category. But the home side couldn’t buy anything for this statistic – especially not after the scene from the 22nd minute. RWE had the chances, but Halle scored with their first shot. Aljaz Casar took a dry shot from 35 meters, the ball bounced on the soaking wet turf before reaching the goal line – 1:0 for the visitors, Essen goalkeeper Jakob Golz had no chance.
The Red & Whites were in no way shocked and quickly took the initiative again. However, Harenbrock missed the next big chance in the 38th minute – but a potential goal would not have counted anyway. Referee Speckner ruled that Berlinski had committed a forward foul. Nevertheless, Harenbrock smashed the ball three meters over the Halle goal from seven meters out.
RWE came out of the break very well and, as at the start of the game, had the big one on their side straight away. After a Lucas Brumme cross, HFC almost scored an own goal, after which Obuz shot past the box from a free position.
And the penalty followed immediately: Besar Halimi (48) finished off a strong counter-attack by the visitors with a shot into the corner – 2:0!
Rot-Weiss Essen: Three changes after one hour of play
Essen were now wobbling. First Dominic Baumann (52) failed to beat Golz, then Götze cleared for a corner. Just two minutes later, it was Baumann again who had to make it 3:0, but Eric Voufack was able to clear.
RWE coach Christoph Dabrowski had to make a change. He made three changes for the 60th minute: Brumme, Young, Berlinski out – Voelcke, Vonic, Doumbouya in
And, lo and behold, RWE reduced the deficit to 1:2 in the 62nd minute. Sapina set up Harenbrock, who almost finished too late, but his deflected ball ended up in the HFC goal.
Essen then had a good chance to equalize in the 73rd minute: Sascha Voelcke crossed finely to Müsel, but his header went just wide. Just four minutes later, Lofolomo saved a Doumbouya shot just off the line. Madness!
But the 2:2 was somehow in the air – and it finally rang in the visitors’ box: Lofolomo turned a Marvin Obuz cross into his own net – 2:2 (79′). That was how it would stay – or so many fans thought. But this RWE is simply crazy this season. In the 90th minute, Leonardo Vonic scored the 3:2 after an Obuz cross – the rest was just madness at Hafenstraße!
