SGF Fürth Greuther Fürth - RWE Essen Rot-Weiss Essen

Sportpark Ronhof | Thomas Sommer(Sold out)
whistleRobert Schröder
Advertisement
camera-photo

Full-time: Greuther Fürth 2-0 Rot-Weiß Essen

Fürth upped their game in the second half, looking far the better team despite the concession of some big chances to Essen, who failed to capitalise when given the chance to get themselves back into the game. Hrgota's brilliant individual goal got his side over the line, meaning Fürth can look forward to another season of Bundesliga 2 action in 2026/27.
End of second half
Full-time
90'
+ 9

Over the line

Fürth survive a late wave of Essen pressure.
90'
+ 8

One last chance

Essen win a late corner!
90'
+ 6

Essen survive

The corner is cleared, and Fürth have to focus on defending once again.
90'
+ 6

One more?

Fürth have a late corner and men in the box for it.
90'
+ 2

Seven more minutes

Have Essen been handed a lifeline?
89'

Mizuta puts it wide!

Essen create a glorious chance right at the death, with Mizuta through on goal with just Prüfrock to beat. He tries to bend it into the near corner but puts his finish narrowly wide of goal.
87'

Minutes away

Fürth are closing in on another season of Bundesliga 2 action.
0:21
camera-professional-play-symbol
82'

Huge miss!

Abiama's looping header comes off the inside of the post and bounces in front of goal, where Müsel is waiting to nod it over the line. He gets his header all wrong though and directs it into the path of Prüfrock with the goal gaping, who gladly pushes it away from goal.
81'

Great work

Hofmann wins the ball back close to the Fürth box before driving into the area and toward the byline, where his attempted delivery is swarmed upon by green and white shirts.
77'

Closing stages

Essen have possession, but look short on ideas.
73'

Overwhelmed

The hosts have been firmly on top in this half.
Goal attempts
12off target
6on target
3off target
3on target
71'

Tempers flare

The Fürth players react angrily after a collision between Hofmann and Hrgota but the referee cools things down.
70'

Offside!

Essen have to do it all over again, as Potočnik's goal is ruled out for offside.
camera-photo
68'

There it is, Essen have their goal!

They've pulled it back level on aggregate! Hofmann swings in a cross from the right toward the far post, where Potočnik side foots home.
68'
Video Assistant RefereeVideo Assistant Referee
SituationGoal
ReviewOffside?
DecisionNo goal
67'

Substitution

camera-photo

Crunch time

Can Essen get themselves back into this tie?
57'

Huge saves!

First Golz denies Hrgota from close range, before reacting quickly to deny Futkeu who was first to the rebound.
54'

Both sides

Fürth have been lively on and off the ball tonight and Essen are struggling to find a response.
Tackles won
73
44
53'

Hosts turning up the heat

Hrgota weaves his way along the byline toward goal where he squeezes out a cross, which is cleared.
50'

Chance for Kostka!

The ball finds him in space at the far side of the area but he rushes his finish, which rolls into the arms of Prüfrock.
0:27
camera-professional-play-symbol

The stadium erupts after Hrgota slams home

camera-photo

What a start! Fürth double their lead

Hrgota cuts in from the right onto his left before bending his finish into the far bottom corner.
47'
Branimir Hrgota
Goal probability
info-small
Goal probability
Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.
2 %
Shot speed
info-small
Shot speed
Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.
114.9 km/h
Distance to Goal
info-small
Distance to Goal
The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.
22.33 m
46'

We're back!

And Essen make one change, with Abiama replacing Safi.
Kick-off!
45'
+ 3

Substitution

camera-photo

Half-time: Greuther Fürth 1-0 Rot-Weiß Essen

Fürth go into the break level on aggregate following Futkeu's goal, with plenty of positive momentum going into the break. Essen started well, with Swajkowski having a clear sight of goal in the first 10 minutes, while Mizuta also scored an offside goal later on in the half, but Fürth dominated the ball and are worthy of their lead.
Half-time
44'

Crucial intervention

Ltaief cuts it back to Hrgota inside the box but a red shirt gets to the ball first.
0:25
camera-professional-play-symbol

Bansé from range!

He strikes a loose ball toward the far side of goal from distance, forcing Golz into a good save.
37'

Almost a quick response!

Mizuta finishes from close range after a cut-back from Hofmann, whose run turned out to be offside in the build up.
36'
Video Assistant RefereeVideo Assistant Referee
SituationGoal
ReviewOffside?
DecisionNo goal
35'

In the driving seat

Fürth are well in control now.
Possession (%)
6337
0:21
camera-professional-play-symbol

Futkeu celebrates putting his side ahead!

camera-photo

Fürth have the lead!

Hrgota charges into the box before slipping the ball into Klaus, who pokes the ball across the six-yard area after an initially heavy touch, and Futkeu is there to sweep the ball in off the post.
29'

Noel Futkeu

GOAL!

1:0
Noel Futkeu
Goal probability
info-small
Goal probability
Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.
82 %
Distance to Goal
info-small
Distance to Goal
The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.
6.66 m
camera-photo

Safi denied

Müsel leads a breakaway, feeding the forward just inside the area. He shifts the ball onto his right but consequently narrows the angle and sees his effort blocked.
camera-photo

The race is on

Who will get the first goal here?
20'

Off the bar!

Dehm's mis-hit cross lands on the top of the bar, but Fürth can't make anything from the follow up.
18'

Visitors causing problems

info-small
xGoals
The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).
So far it's Essen who have been the more dangerous side.
xGoals
0
0.03
0.37
0
Goals
14'

Müsel with a cheeky effort

His first-time effort from range almost lobs Prüfrock, who reacts well to tip the ball over the bar.
camera-photo

Early action

Fürth could already be behind here, in what has been an exciting start to this game.
10'

Huge chance for Essen!

Swajkowski squeezes in between the challenges of two Fürth defenders, putting him one-on-one with Prüfrock who spreads himself well to save from close range.
7'

Sight of goal

Ltaief turns on the edge of the box before firing a shot toward the far bottom corner from the left-hand side, but his effort zips wide of the far post.
4'

Lucky escape!

Itter loses the ball in his own defensive third but recovers quickly to poke the ball in the direction of another green and white shirt.
1'

Off we go!

This enticing second-leg is underway.
Kick-off!
camera-photo

Full focus

Just 45 minutes until kick-off now!

Fürth subs

Boevink, Dietz, Bjarnason, Green, Arifi, Keller, Consbruch, Higl, Srbeny

Essen subs

Wienand, Schultz, Brumme, Kaiser, Obuz, Reisig, Meisel, Abiama, Janssen
camera-photo

Tonight's arena!

camera-photo

More on that Fürth team

The hosts make one change from their first-leg loss, with Bansé (pictured) coming in for Srbeny.
camera-photo

More on that Essen team

The visitors are unchanged as they look to build on their lead and join Bundesliga 2 for next season.
camera-photo

Futkeu & Co. arrive

camera-photo

Essen's frontline

The visitors scored 39 goals at home and the same figure away from home in the league this season, showing that they're more than comfortable finding the net wherever they are. Marek Janssen (pictured) is their top scorer with 14 league goals.
camera-photo

More Müsel magic?

The Essen midfielder scored the only goal of the game last time out, a sublime free-kick, and will be one to keep an eye out once more for Vogel's men. He scored seven goals away from home for his side in 2025/26, putting him in the top 10 for goals scored on the road.
camera-photo

Can Essen stand firm?

With 66 goals conceded this season, Essen's defensive record was the worst of the top nine teams in the third division. In fact, 44 of those goals were conceded on the road, meaning their backline will have to be at their best to stop a Fürth comeback.
camera-photo

Futkeu's firepower

With 19 goals and five assists in 2025/26, Futkeu will be desperate to fire his side to a second-leg victory, especially after failing to find the back of the net in the first-leg.
camera-photo

Narrow defeat

While the scoreline is all that matters in the end, the numbers paint a much different picture than the first-leg result shows for Fürth. Vogel's men had more possession (65 per cent), won more duels (57 per cent), had eight corners to Essen's one, and delivered 16 crosses into the box compared to the hosts' nine.
camera-photo

Home advantage?

Six of Fürth's 10 league wins in Bundesliga 2 this season came at home, which will give them a boost ahead of Essen's visit, although the Cloverleaves did also conceded 31 goals at Sportpark Ronhof - a league high.
camera-photo

Koschinat on the second leg

"I don't think Fürth will be able to match the atmosphere we generated at Hafenstraße. Our fans will take Hafenstraße to Fürth. A promise to avoid relegation like [Branimir] Hrgota's is bold – but that's to be expected."
camera-photo

Vogel on the second leg

"We all know what's at stake. [...] We would have had to score a goal anyway, but a goal tomorrow would equalise. That means it will continue at 0-0, but at our home ground."
camera-photo

Fürth head coach Heiko Vogel on the first leg

"We failed to apply the necessary pressure. We were unlucky with the shot that hit the crossbar, and right at the start of the second half we had one or two chances that we didn't convert. Now we go into the second leg trailing 1-0, but we're used to that."
camera-photo

Essen head coach Uwe Koschinat on the first leg

"We've always had to earn the love of the people. But looking at what we've seen today, this team has, in my opinion, impressively succeeded. When I started here, the players were laughed at during warm-ups. And that was only a year and a half ago, and it's burned into my memory. There's no trace of that now."
camera-photo

Head-to-head record

Third-tier Essen hold a slender lead in the head-to-head stats, with four wins to Fürth's two (D3). Prior to last week's first leg, the most recent meeting between the two clubs came in May 2007, when the Ruhr outfit claimed a 2-0 victory over the Clover Leaves, but it was not enough to help them avoid relegation to the third division that season.
camera-photo

How Greuther Fürth got here

Fürth spent some time bottom of Bundesliga 2 after Heiko Vogel replaced Thomas Kleine in the dugout in December, but vital late-season home wins over Darmstadt and Düsseldorf were enough to take them up to the play-off spot. Noel Futkeu's 19 goals, which saw him crowned Bundesliga 2 top scorer, were vital for their survival bid.
camera-photo

How Rot-Weiss Essen got here

A run of seven successive wins in the spring rocketed Essen into the automatic promotion spots under Uwe Koschinat, and although three losses in a row then set them back, two victories to end the season helped them seal third. Centre-forward Marek Janssen's 14 goals played a major role in achieving that goal.
2:14
camera-professional-play-symbol

Watch: Rot-Weiss Essen 1-0 Greuther Fürth - first-leg highlights

Torben Müsel scored the only goal of the game in the second half as 3. Liga side Essen secured a crucial first-leg win at Stadion an der Hafenstraße.
camera-photo

What's the play-off all about?

Essen hosted the first leg on Friday 21 May. The decisive second leg will be at Fürth's Sportpark Ronhof on Tuesday 26 May. The team that wins on aggregate will get to play in Bundesliga 2 in 2026/27. The loser either goes down or remains in 3. Liga. If level on aggregate after 180 minutes, there will be 30 minutes of extra time and, if required, penalties. The away goals rule is no longer in use.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this play-off second leg between Greuther Fürth and Rot-Weiss Essen.