1.FC Monheim won 3-1 against SC 1911 Kapellen-Erft in the top match of the Lower Rhine Regional League 1. This puts them at the top of the table.

Change of scenery in the Regional League! 1.FC Monheim is back in the lead after their 3-1 victory in the top match against SC 1911 Kapellen-Erft.

The match took the full 90 minutes to be decided. Florian Schikowski finally sealed the deal in the 90th minute with his 3-1 goal.

Before the top-of-the-table clash, 1.FC Monheim coach Dennis Ruess told Forecasting that the Oberliga relegation side’s goal was not just to avoid relegation. Promotion is the ultimate aim.

With the takeover of the top spot on matchday 18, the first step in the right direction has already been taken: “It was important for us to get the three points first. In my opinion, the victory was not undeserved. You could tell that we were the more objective and mature team. We dominated the first half and should have added to our 1-0 lead. That allowed Kapellen-Erft to get back into the game with a goal just before half-time. They played at a brutal pace in attack. So we focused on stability after that and earned the win in the second half with a focused performance. But the championship is far from decided. So much can still happen. A real trend in our group will probably only emerge five or six matchdays before the end.”

We have now established ourselves as favorites, so every team comes into the game against us with extra motivation. We accept that and see it as a great challenge.

Fabian Nellen

Kapellen-Erft on the other side loses the lead in the table for the first time since the seventh match day.

But for coach Fabian Nellen, that’s no reason to panic: “Of course we would have liked to win – but no, there’s no reason to panic. We played a good game within our capabilities. In the end, you have to admit that Monheim is simply better in every position. We’re taking it one game at a time and our goal is to stay at the top for as long as possible. This weekend we’re up against 1.FC Viersen, which will also be tough. We’ve earned ourselves a kind of favorite status, which means every team comes into the game against us with extra motivation. We accept that and see it as a great challenge.”