Seven goals in a single game? Why not, thought Marcel Platzek, forward for Rot-Weiss Essen II.

The Niederrhein 6 District League has also kicked off the 2026 season. Right off the bat, VfB Frohnhausen suffered a setback.

That’s because VfB could only manage a 1-1 draw at home against Dostlukspor Bottrop. VfB was unable to hold onto its halftime lead. The rivals at the top took advantage of this.

Both DJK Arminia Klosterhardt, Spvgg Sterkrade 06/​07, and SV Burgaltendorf won their respective matches. League-leading Klosterhardt celebrated a rout against bottom-of-the-table SF 1930 Königshardt.

The final score after 90 minutes was 9-0. Now that’s how you start the new year. Spvgg Sterkrade 06/07 also made a strong statement, winning 5-0 away at Vogelheimer SV, a team that had long been among the top contenders. The score was still 0-0 at halftime, but then the hosts received two red cards. The second-place team took full advantage of the two-man advantage.

SV Burgaltendorf also dominated at home against SF Niederwenigern II, who are in a relegation spot, with the final score 5-1. Rot-Weiss Essen II has moved into fourth place following Frohnhausen’s slip-up. Stefan Lorenz’s team, which still has promotion to the Landesliga in its sights, won its first game of the new year against second-to-last Arminia Lirich in commanding fashion, 8-0.

And one former pro was particularly on fire. Marcel Platzek found the back of the net seven times. The Oberhausen side had absolutely no answer for the veteran.

RWE must now face bottom-of-the-table BG Überruhr in a week, if the match is played. Because: While it’s a tight race at the top and the promotion battle promises excitement, at the bottom of the table, BG Überruhr didn’t even show up. Heisinger SV thus earned the three points by default.