SV Elversberg remains in the top group of the 2nd Bundesliga – also because Fortuna Düsseldorf exploited opportunities. Now Sven Mislintat is supposed to stop Fortuna’s decline as the new manager.
Elversberg won 1-0 on Sunday (December 14th, 2025), with Otto Stange scoring the decisive goal in the 79th minute. Düsseldorf’s coach Markus beginning said of the defeat: “It’s incredibly bitter because we had an incredible number of chances to score. I think if we take a 3-0 lead in the second half, then things will go exactly as they should.“
For SVE coach Wagner it was the expected difficult game. The Düsseldorfers would have “did a lot of things right“In the first half his team only allowed standard situations, in the second the Fortunes started well and put them under pressure.”Nevertheless, we won the game thanks to a very, very good goalkeeper“, said Wagner.
The game began in thick fog, but referee Richard Hempel still whistled on time – he apparently thought visibility was sufficient. The hosts had the better perspective in the first quarter of an hour. Around 60 percent possession of the ball documented SVE’s dominance over the midfield. The first big chance went to Younes Ebnoutalib in the 9th minute, but his low shot was missed by Florian Kastenmeier.
Itten-Kracher is the first sign of life in Düsseldorf
The ailing Fortuna, which has now lost seven of nine competitive games under Markus beginning, had a hard time getting going. Out of nowhere, Cedric Itten took the lead in the 19th minute – Elversberg keeper Nicolas Kristof steered his volley after Elias Egouli’s header over the crossbar.
Fortuna then retreated deep into their own defensive third, and after half an hour the goal-scoring ratio was 6:1 for Elversberg. But the SVE lacked the final pressure and the final consequence – the few balls that got through were in safe hands with Kastenmeier.
Elversberg’s Kristof and the crossbar save against Daland
Kristof had the tougher test again: In the 36th minute, Jesper Daland headed Florent Muslija’s free-kick cross against the goalkeeper’s path, but he made an excellent save. That was the start of the best phase in Düsseldorf.
Shortly before the break, Elversberg defender Keidel blocked a ball from Kenneth Schmidt in the six-yard box, then Daland was once again at the center of the action: technically brilliant, he placed the ball in front of himself on the edge of the penalty area for a volley and slammed it against the crossbar – Kristof would have been powerless.
Düsseldorf’s Rasmussen and Muslija make a fuss
Düsseldorf carried this momentum into the second half. The thick fog in Saarland still hadn’t cleared away – and the Fortuna continued to improve its lead. Christian Rasmussen, who had seven touches of the ball in the first half, was free in front of Kristof after a precise pass from Muslija, but the Dane was also denied by the goalkeeper.
Nothing came from Elversberg offensively, but Fortuna remained true to itself: Muslija also missed miserably from the best shooting position (62nd), a minute later Rasmussen only hit Kristof from a central position instead of choosing one of the two free corners. Elversberg punished Elversberg eleven minutes before the final whistle through Stange, who made Kastenmeier look bad when he finished from a tight angle. Coach Vincent Wagner praised the young striker, who is currently on loan from Hamburger SV, for his coolness: “He comes running in, then two contacts in the end. Nice goal, he can do that too.“
Fortuna falls to 17th place with the defeat and has to worry about staying in the league. Coach Markus beginning sees the problem primarily in effectiveness. “In the ten weeks that I have been here, we have simply not scored the goals in many situations. It’s bitter today because I think everyone has seen how we play against second in the table and that we have chances. It’s not the approach, it’s the effectiveness and it’s just not there.“Elversberg meanwhile remains at the top of the table and is the first pursuer of league leaders Schalke 04.
Elversberg’s Ebnoutalib supposedly to Frankfurt, Mislintat to Fortuna
There were concrete transfer rumors on the sidelines of the game. Elversberg striker Ebnoutalib is said to have agreed on a winter transfer with Eintracht Frankfurt. A good hour after the final whistle, Fortuna Düsseldorf announced that Sven Mislintat would become Fortuna’s new sports director, replacing Klaus Allofs with immediate effect. Allofs and the club recently announced that they would not be extending his contract, which expires next summer. Allofs, a legend of the club as a player, has been part of the board since 2020.
Mislintat used to work as a scout in Düsseldorf. Later he was chief scout at Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal FC. In 2019 he became sports director at VfB Stuttgart and worked in the same role for Ajax Amsterdam from 2023. There was a separation there after just a few months, and his return to BVB as technical director in 2024 also ended after just over a year.
Elversberg against the Prussians, Düsseldorf against Fürth
Elversberg will play against Preußen Münster at the end of the first half of the season next Sunday (1.30 p.m.), Düsseldorf will host SpVgg Greuther Fürth on Saturday (1 p.m.).