First leg of the second division relegation
Thanks to a dream goal, Essen travels to the Fürth second leg with an advantage
Updated May 23, 2026 – 3:58 amReading time: 2 minutes
It was only on the last matchday of the 3rd league that Rot-Weiss Essen jumped into the relegation zone, and now the club is only one step away from the 2nd Bundesliga.
Rot-Weiss Essen won the first leg of the relegation leg for the 2nd Bundesliga against Greuther Fürth 1-0 (0-0) and thus secured a slight advantage for the second leg next Tuesday (8.30 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online).
Torben Müsel (62nd) scored the decisive goal with a direct free kick from around 20 meters. Müsel had previously almost taken the lead. However, Fürth’s goalkeeper Silas Prurock still made an artistic save.
That’s how the game went
Cheered on by their enthusiastic fans, the Essen team’s desire for the second division was immediately noticeable. The hosts were committed to the duels and played extremely physical.
However, Fürth had the first chances to score. RWE goalkeeper Jakob Golz punched a free kick from Felix Klaus out of the penalty area, and the crossbar wobbled when Jannik Dehm hit a long-range shot. Fürth in Essen born second division top scorer Noel Futkeu narrowly missed the goal with an overhead kick.
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Legendary coach Otto Rehhagel, who once played for Essen, and the other spectators in the stands saw a balanced game characterized by duels. Many duels at the limit of what is permitted or beyond it showed how much is at stake. Numerous interruptions and discussions prevented any real flow of the game at times. Koschinat and Vogel also joined in the emotional debate.
The style of the game did not change after the break. The guests initially had the better finishing situations. When captain Branimir Hrgota’s powerful shot hit, Golz was once again on target.
His counterpart then involuntarily gave Essen the first chance. Fürth keeper Silas Prurock played the ball into Müsel’s foot, but made up for his mistake with a save. Shortly afterwards, Müsel caused the stadium to shake. The 26-year-old curled a very impressive free kick into the corner and was celebrated.