“Did I look wrong?”
On live TV: Commentator considers replay for second goal
May 10, 2026 – 11:15 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
In the home game against SC Verl, Rot-Weiss Essen took the lead in the second half. WDR commentator Stefan Hänsel then makes a bizarre mistake.
A strange moment occurred during the live broadcast on WDR during the third division game between Rot-Weiss Essen and SC Verl. Commentator Stefan Hänsel made a faux pas shortly after Gianluca Swajkowski’s opening goal (50th minute): he thought a repeat of the goal was a second goal for the Essen team.
The scene occurred in the 56th minute. The camera showed Gianluca Swajkowski. Hansel commented with the words: “That’s the goalscorer”. Then the image jumped to a repeat of the hit. For the TV viewers, however, the chants from the stadium and the time on the game display in the top left of the picture continued as normal – and Hansel apparently felt no different.
“You seem a bit shaky right now. Otto, that’s the next bad pass,” said the commentator about the repetition, which he mistakenly didn’t recognize as such. “Swajkowski again. That doesn’t exist. 2-0 for RWE. That’s crazy. The goal was scored in a similar way to the 1-0 goal.”
Shortly afterwards, Hansel seemed to realize that he had made a mistake. “Or did I look wrong? Did I look wrong? What now? Ah, it was the repetition,” said the journalist, who took the situation with humor. “I totally made a mistake. I thought that would have been 2-0,” said Hänsel, laughing. “Yes, that’s what it looks like. Maybe I should replace the reporter for 30 seconds, he just made a mistake. But hopefully he’s back on track now.”
However, Hansel was no longer allowed to comment on another goal. The game ended 1-0. With the win, Essen maintains its chance of promotion. With one match day to go, RWE is only in fourth place in the table, but like MSV Duisburg, they have 67 points in the relegation spot. Cottbus is in second place, two points ahead of Essen.
Next weekend, Uwe Koschinat’s team will face Ulm. Duisburg has to hold its own against Viktoria Cologne at the same time. Cottbus meets Jahn Regensburg away.
