Rot-Weiss Essen and VfL Osnabrück drew 1-1 in a tight third division match.

Great game on the pitch, great atmosphere in the stands: The big match of the 3rd division between Rot-Weiss Essen and VfL Osnabrück had a lot to offer and should not have disappointed any of the approximately 17,700 spectators in the stadium at Hafenstraße. In the end, both sides were satisfied with the 1-1 draw. RWE had more in it than VfL, the team of the moment in the 3rd division.

Rot-Weiss Essen started the game the way RWE is known from previous home games: active and dominating the game.

The first chance came after only six minutes when Ron Berlinski served Isaiah Young, but he missed from an acute angle. There was definitely more in it.

And RWE again: This time, Thorben Müsel (12th) finished off a corner, but his shot was just blocked by an Osnabrück player. There was no sign of VfL, who had won five in a row away from home recently.

A completely different RWE: Felix Bastians (14.) got a header after a cross from Oguzhan Kefkir, but there was some pressure missing behind the ball. The RWE captain (27.) also had a chance to make it 1:0 after a shot attempt, but Osnabrück’s number one Philipp Kühn parried.

The VfL showed in the 32nd minute that Osnabrück are a real top team that has a real run. After a corner, Timo Beermann rose higher than Felix Herzenbruch and it was 1:0 for the visitors. And that was really the first chance for the purple and white team. A top team!

RWE went into half-time with this cold shower, but the Red and Whites showed themselves well recovered. Cheered on by the 15,200 or so Essen fans among the 17,671 spectators, RWE continued to look for their luck on the offensive. Of course, this also created gaps in the Essen defence.

After a corner, VfL counter-attacked via goal-scorer Ba-Muaka Simakala, who played a perfect pass to Noel Niemann, but the offensive player failed to clear the ball out of the danger zone due to Jakob Golz’s brilliant reaction.

RWE continued to play courageously and were almost rewarded. Herzenbruch (60th) headed the ball into the net after a Kefkir cross and Bastians’ header – but the jubilation at Hafenstraße was short-lived. The referee decided on an offside position, for whatever reason.

But five minutes later there were no two opinions: Kefkir passed to Lawrence Ennali in the penalty area and he saved the RWE fans – the highly deserved 1:1 equaliser!

Just two minutes later: Rother headed in, Osnabrück cleared, then RWE scored the next offside goal through Bastians. Essen put on the pressure!

And Osnabrück? In the 74th minute, the visitors had a great chance to score the winner: Suddenly, Robert Tesche was in front of Golz and tried a dipping shot, but his ball was just too weak. Thus ended a great, atmospheric match between Rot-Weiss Essen and VfL Osnabrück with a 1-1 draw.

RWE remained without defeat at Hafenstraße for the 11th time in a row and VfL without a defeat away from home for the 6th time in a row.