Rot-Weiss Essen remains fully in the race for promotion to the 2nd league – but has to hope for the competition. For Verl, however, the dream is over.
For Red and white food There couldn’t have been a better time to end the three-game losing streak. RWE beat SC Verl 1-0 (0-0) on Saturday and can continue to dream of promotion. It was a game of equals that could have ended differently. But the people of Essen won’t care about that. For Verl, on the other hand, all hopes now rest on the final in the Westphalia Cup.
Nervous and confused beginning
It was a duel between the two best offensive departments in the league, but there wasn’t much to see at first. Both RWE and East Westphalia were under pressure so close to the end of the season. The ball ran a little more smoothly through the ranks of the guests, but they were unable to create any goal threat. Also because Essen was very low and hardly dared to cross the center line.
It took 22 minutes before the first notable goal scene could be recorded: Lucas Brumme took a free kick with a lot of cutting towards the goal and forced Philipp Schulze to intervene. The Verl keeper played it safe and directed the ball over the crossbar. On the other hand, Marco Wörner tested Jakob Golz from ten meters – but the Essen goalkeeper also kept his box clean.
Hardly any offensive accents on both sides
Even after half an hour it was still an extremely tough game. Jannik Hofmann, who distributed the balls cleverly, was responsible for the few strong actions on the Essen side. But first Jaka Cuber Potocnik narrowly missed the cross, shortly afterwards Essen’s Ramien Safi chased the ball clear over the box.
SC Verl was waiting for quick switching actions, but these hardly occurred in the final minutes of the first half. Accordingly, RWE had more possession of the ball, but overall they went into the break with a fair draw.
Verl pushes, Essen hits
SC Verl seemed to have a lot planned for the second half, as they fired their first shot on goal after just 30 seconds. Jonas Arweiler didn’t hesitate for long and shot from the turn. Golz was there and cleared the ball with a remarkable flying performance.
Gianluca Swajkowski celebrates his goal
In the 50th minute the goal finally came – although not for Verl but for RWE. The home team benefited from a major construction error by East Westphalia, who lost the ball to Gianluca Swajkowski around three meters in front of their own box. He then fired the ball into the left corner from 16 meters.
However, this leadership did not give the Essenes any security. On the contrary: SC Verl pushed for a quick answer, but did not find one. Because even if RWE didn’t have much going forward, Uwe Koschinat’s team was secure defensively.
Post saves for RWE
At least until the 74th minute, when the equalizer came close. Berkan Taz took heart and simply took off. With a brilliant save, Golz was able to direct the ball to the post, from where it jumped out of the goal.
Driven by the strong Taz, the guests marched on. They have been significantly more active than the home team for some time. But RWE fought despite all the cramps and somehow managed to win over time. It won’t matter to the Essen team that the three points were a bit lucky in the end. This means you have a chance of promotion, even if your starting position in fourth place isn’t the best.
Because Cottbus also won its game, Essen is two points behind the direct promotion place. Duisburg is still third after the zero number on Friday, but only thanks to the better goal difference. RWE has to play against Ulm, who have already been relegated, on the last matchday, Duisburg hosts Viktoria Köln. Cottbus could be enough to secure second place in Regensburg with just one point.
Publisher: Last Hope Westphalia Cup
Verl, on the other hand, not only has to bury all dreams of promotion, but also the chance of fourth place, which entitles him to start in the DFB Cup. At least the East Westphalians still have hope, as they are in the final of the Westphalia Cup. If they win this, they will at least end this long strong season by qualifying for the DFB Cup.
Our sources:
- Third division game Rot-Weiss Essen against SC Verl on May 9th, 2026 (live broadcast on WDR and on MagentaSport)
Broadcast: “Essen keeps the promotion dreams alive against Verl,” WDR.deMay 9, 2026, 4:20 p.m
