Full of confidence but with a fair amount of respect, Rot-Weiss Essen travels to SpVgg Greuther Fürth for the relegation second leg. RWE wants to return to the 2nd Bundesliga after a 19-year absence.
A fantastic free kick decided the first game (1-0) in Essen’s favor: Torben Müsel curled the ball into the net in the 62nd minute.
But Greuther Fürth had already proven on the last league matchday that Vogel’s team can always be trusted to make a final sprint. With a furious 3-0 victory, the Franconians prevailed on the last matchday against a seemingly paralyzed Düsseldorf team.
Uwe Koschinat is also aware of the high quality of the offensive with players like Noel Futkeu, Branimir Hrgota and Felix Klaus. The RWE coach expects the opponent to be “even better, even more determined.” Defender Ben Hüning, who has been playing more and more confidently on the pitch in recent games, also warns: “It’s only half time.”
The worst advice would be to only play defensively
Uwe Koschinat, coach of Rot-Weiss Essen
Essen trainer Uwe Koschinat
“The team now has a small lead and we have to defend it. We will do everything we can to keep them away from their own goal,” said Koschinat, the motto for the second leg. However, you shouldn’t become passive or isolate yourself at the back. Even if a draw would be enough for RWE to win promotion, the coach says: “The worst advice would be to only play defensively.”
“In terms of intensity and physicality, we threw in everything we could,” said the coach after the first leg. He also sees this as the basis for the meeting in Fürth: “Our direction will be to play courageously and take the lead ourselves in order to increase the pressure.”
Koschinat is not happy with everything
Koschinat didn’t agree with everything about his team’s play in the first leg win, especially in the first half. “I disliked the fact that we didn’t play the first pass forward after winning the ball, but often ended up back at Golz.” So you often had to play with long balls and lost possession of the ball. Despite all this, his team never lost defensive control.
The coach still left it open what the starting eleven would look like. However, he revealed that defender Lucas Brumme and/or striker Dickson Abiama, who came on as a substitute in the first leg, were candidates for the first eleven.
Away goals rule does not apply
The Essen team has prepared for a possible penalty shootout. “We simulated that in training,” said Koschinat. This is what RWE would face in the event of a one-goal defeat, no matter how it turns out: The away goals rule no longer exists in relegation since the 2021/22 season.
Euphoria in Essen is great
There is great euphoria at the traditional club, which was temporarily relegated to the fifth division after its relegation from the second division in 2007 and also survived a bankruptcy filing during this time. After the strong support in their own stadium in the first leg, the Essen team can also rely on fan support in the second leg at the Ronhof sports park.
“All 2,297 guest tickets sold,” Rot-Weiss reports on its website. The arena holds almost 16,000 spectators. Koschinat is happy about the crowds and predicts: “The fans will carry Hafenstrasse to Fürth.” Torben Müsel also knows: “We, with the fans behind us, have shown that we can defy any resistance. We need every support.”
Public viewing on Kennedy Square
His team had carried them forward in the stadium on Hafenstrasse. Heiko Vogel, coach of SpVgg Greuther Fürth, was impressed after the first leg: “That was football in its purest form, an immensely loud stadium.”
For the RWE fans who couldn’t get tickets, a public viewing was organized at home on Kennedy Square.
Our sources:
- Press conferences Rot-Weiss Essen
- Homepage Rot-Weiss Essen (www.rot-weiss-essen.de)
- Sports Information Service (sid)
Broadcast: WDR.de “RWE is heading into the second leg with full confidence.” June 25, 2026 4 p.m
