While Rot-Weiß Oberhausen lost a wild match at Fortuna Cologne, Fortuna Düsseldorf II took the lead in the Regionalliga West standings overnight.
Matchday 4 of the Regionalliga West is underway. With the DFB Cup weekend underway, only three matches were on the schedule for Saturday.
Among the teams in action were Fortuna Cologne and Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, who faced off at Cologne’s Südstadion. The visitors got off to a slightly better start. Matona-Glody Ngyombo shot over the bar from 16 meters (4th minute), and a shot by Luca Schlax was cleared off the line moments later. At the other end, Fortuna then capitalized on their first real chance: Nico Thier dribbled past RWO goalkeeper Kevin Kratzsch and put the home side ahead (14th minute).
The goal kicked off a frantic phase of play. First, Ngyombo lost his cool; the RWO midfielder struck Tom Geerkens in the face and was shown a red card for his violent conduct (19th min). But the Kleeblätter wouldn’t be down a man for long—Enzo Wirtz fouled Pierre Fassnacht hard and received his second yellow card of the day (23rd min) .
There were few chances in front of goal in the first half—until stoppage time. Fortuna earned another corner, and Vleron Statovci headed it in (45’+5). The teams went into the locker rooms with Fortuna leading 2–0.
RWO started the second half with a brief spell of pressure, but Alexander Mühling (47′) and Christopher Schepp (49′) both missed the Fortuna goal. Then came the next red card, again against the Oberhausen side: RWO captain Nico Klaß cleared the ball with his hand on the line and was sent off. On the ensuing penalty kick by Rafael Garcia, Kratzsch guessed the corner and made the save (53rd minute).
Back with a man advantage, Cologne eventually made it 3-0. Once again, a corner kick led to the goal; Statovci was in the right place at the right time and scored his second of the match (63rd minute). Elias Demirarslan managed to pull one back with a free kick (71′), but soon after, Fortuna was awarded their second penalty. This time Timo Bornemann stepped up; Kratzsch saved again, but was beaten by the onrushing Adrian Stanilewicz (77′). Bornemann then sealed the deal with a header. It was RWO’s third loss in four games, while Fortuna Cologne celebrated the 5-1 victory with the fans.
Düsseldorf II squanders 2-0 lead
The still-undefeated Fortuna Düsseldorf II hosted 1. FC Bocholt. It was an evenly matched game in the first 45 minutes, with Fortuna striking first: Lennart Garlipp scored midway through the first half to make it 1-0 at halftime, and immediately after the break, Düsseldorf extended their lead to 2-0 through Charlison Benschop.
It looked like a third win for Düsseldorf, but Arnold Budimbu had other ideas. First, the Bocholt player narrowed the gap, then he equalized with a penalty kick (85th minute). Nevertheless, Fortuna took the lead in the standings overnight.
VfL Bochum II Secures First Win
SV Rödinghausen also faced a reserve team, as VfL Bochum II visited the Häcker Wiehenstadion. A week after their 5-0 win at Wuppertaler SV, SVR disappointed in the first half, failed to get into the game at all, and conceded a deserved 0-1 goal by Luis Hartwig, who scored the halftime goal (39′).
Rödinghausen came out of the break like a different team, pinning VfL back, but couldn’t find the equalizer. Instead, Hartwig sealed the match with his fourth goal of the season, and the final score was 2-0 for the promoted side.
Action continues in the Regionalliga West this Sunday (August 17). Four matches are on the schedule. Borussia Dortmund II faces Wuppertaler SV, while SSVg Velbert hosts Borussia Mönchengladbach II. The previous league leader, SC Paderborn II, travels to SC Wiedenbrück, and 1. FC Köln II takes on Sportfreunde Siegen.
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