The Wuppertal SV did it! In the third attempt this season, the traditional Bergisch club WSV was able to defeat the rivals from the Ruhr area Rot-Weiss Essen.
“RWE is due now – as we know, all good things come in threes,” said Stephan Küsters before the game. And the sports director of the Wuppertal SV should be right.
After two league defeats (0:1, 1:2) the WSV defeated Red and white food in the Niederrheinpokal semifinals with 3:1 (2:1). And that in front of a huge crowd of 11,743 spectators, including around 2,000 fans from Essen. Just as an aside: last weekend, less than 1,000 spectators attended the WSV game against Borussia Mönchengladbach II (1-0).
In the run-up to the cup game against Rot-Weiss Essen Peter Neururer, sports director of the WSV, appealed to the Wuppertal football fans and said that anything less than 10,000 spectators would be very disappointing. Neururer was ridiculed, but now he can be happy: about the grandiose number of spectators and the renewed entry into the final of the Niederrheinpokal.
The Niederrheinpokal semi-final started with a lot of momentum – on both sides. However, the visitors had the first option. After a one-two from Simon Engelmann and Isaiah Young the RWE top scorer shot wide from a tight angle.
The Wuppertal, who were equal from the start, made it more effective. First chance, first goal! Roman Prokoph (16) came to an end 18 meters from the Essen goal and converted ice cold – 1:0 for Wuppertal. The WSV seemed inspired after the lead and pushed for the 2:0. And the hit fell too: standard specialist Kevin Rodrigues-Pires (22.) shot a free kick from over 25 meters flat on the RWE goal and scored. The ball looked for Essen’s goalkeeper Jakob Golz not exactly untenable.
A few minutes needed Red and white foodto collect yourself. But then the top team from Hafenstrasse reacted promptly, having beaten Wuppertaler SV twice this season (1-0, 2-1). Sandro Plechaty hit a precise cross on the head of Marius Kleinsorge (35th) and it was only 1:2. That was also the break.
Red and white food: Golz – Plechaty, Heber, Herzenbruch, Bastians (71st Haiduk) – Dürholtz, Kaiser (66th Janjic) – Kleinsorge (71st Kefkir), Eisfeld (71st Harenbrock), Young – Engelmann.
Referee: Kevin Domnick.
Tore: 1: 0 Prokoph (16.), 2: 0 Rodrigues Pires (21.), 2: 1 Kleinsorge (35.), 3: 1 Prokoph (68.).
Viewers: 11743.
After the restart, the WSV had the big thing on its head: Prokoph (48th) headed the ball on the second post, but could not get the ball precisely onto the goal. Lucky for RWE!
The Red-Blues had this twice on their side a short time later. Big double chance RWE in the 53rd minute: First Plechaty failed from a distance, then he was able to Felix Bastians WSV-Keeper Sebastian Patzler not overcome from a short distance.
Not much came from the WSV – the hosts were waiting for a counterattack and were rewarded. The WSV struck ice cold! And again it was match winner Prokoph. The striker headed a free-kick cross from 13 meters into the goal.
The WSV brought the game to the finish and can look forward to the Niederrheinpokal final in Duisburg against SV Straelen for the second time in a row. Last year, WSV won and was allowed to play against VfL Bochum in the DFB Cup. Only one goal remains for RWE: promotion to the 3rd division. On Saturday we go to Lotte, where SV Rödinghausen is waiting. Only one win counts!
