Fortuna Cologne suffered a bitter 5-0 defeat against Rot-Weiss Essen!

Fortuna Cologne suffered a bitter 5-0 defeat against Rot-Weiss Essen!

Last Saturday afternoon, Fortuna Cologne suffered a bitter defeat when they lost 5-0 to Rot-Weiss Essen in a friendly match. The game was not only characterized by a clear result, but also by heated duels and numerous cards, ten in total - seven for Essen and three for Fortuna. President Hanns-Jörg Westendorf found clear words and said that the game had little to do with a test match when he criticized his team's attitude after conceding the first goal. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports on the emotional moments on the pitch.

The first goal for the guests was scored in the 18th minute by Dominik Martinovic, after preparatory work by Jannik Hofmann. In the first few minutes, Fortuna appeared committed and pressed high, but the gap between the two leagues - Regional League and 3rd League - became increasingly clear as the game progressed. Afterwards, coach Matthias Mink was dissatisfied with the referee Tom Nesselhauf, who couldn't control the nicks and excessive fouls. He was particularly critical of a brutal foul by Fortuna's David Al-Azzawe on Martinovic, which could have resulted in a dismissal. RWE veteran Klaus Gjasula also remained on the pitch without a corresponding penalty despite two serious fouls.

Key actions and other gameplay

After the break, the next decisive action came in the 52nd minute when Martinovic used a quick free kick to take the lead 2-0. Around three minutes later, in the 55th minute, Hofmann took advantage of a catastrophic bad pass from Tom Geerkens to extend the lead to 3-0. The final point, and thus the 5-0, came with a header from Jaka Cuber Potocnik in stoppage time after another safety mistake by substitute goalkeeper Jannik Theißen.

However, coach Mink was optimistic after the game that there would be enough time to work on the deficits. “The result does not reflect the course of the game,” he explained. Nevertheless, it is clear that Fortuna must be well prepared for the coming challenges - such as the upcoming game against Bundesliga club 1. FC Köln - in order to heal the deep wounds of this defeat. Kicker is also surprised by the large discrepancy in playing ability.

The regional league at a glance

The regional league in which Fortuna Cologne competes is not only an exciting league, but also includes some of the best teams in Germany. How SoccerStats247 mentioned, many top teams fight for the title of champion in preliminary, group and knockout rounds. In addition to Fortuna Cologne, Lokomotive Leipzig is also one of the strong representatives in the regional league.

After this painful defeat, it will be important for Fortuna to improve quickly and, above all, to minimize mistakes. Because in the regional league, every point is valuable, and the coming games will show whether the team can learn the lessons from this clear result.