The new season in the Rheinlandliga kicked off with a real statement for our U19s. On Saturday evening, the team led by head coach Maxwell Lunga and assistant coach Rainard Schulz, in their debut on the sidelines, secured a deserved 3-0 victory against FC Metternich in a gripping opening match. It was a hard-fought, but well-earned success.
In the first half, our defense was mostly very solid. Metternich found hardly any way through and almost exclusively created harmless chances from set pieces. When a ball did break through, goalkeeper Jonas Görres was there with a brilliant save in a one-on-one situation in the middle of the first half. Offensively, our boys showed ruthless effectiveness: In the 21st minute, Lukas Heinrichs initiated the attack with a lightning-fast, long ball, which Max Mattschall finished off with a spectacular lob over the goalkeeper to take a 1-0 lead. Just eight minutes later, Maxi Trierweiler pressed the opponent after winning the ball in the attacking third and buried it ice-cold for a 2-0 halftime score.
After the change of sides, the game turned around. Metternich increased the pressure both playfully and emotionally, which noticeably unsettled our team. Our boys retreated and focused on defending and counter-attacking. Metternich had possession of the ball but didn't create any clear chances. The only notable goal was disallowed for offside. Salvation came in the final phase: after a cross from Luca Sahm, Mika Eisenzapf initially failed, but Mathis Schmidgen kept a cool head and calmly slotted the rebound into the far corner for the decisive 3-0.
Rainard Schulz aptly summarized the victory: "A win from a mix of fighting spirit, team spirit, and luck."
The next challenge already awaits: This coming weekend, we play away against JFV Wolfstein WW/Sieg, who also started the season with a 2:1 away victory.
U19 Rhineland League / Matchday 1
Ahrweiler BC vs Metternich 3:0 (2:0)
Ahrweiler BC
Jonas Görres, Mats Oberlies, Max Matschall, Mika Eisenzapf, Julian Trajkoski, Luca Sahm, Lukas Heinrichs, Maximilian Trierweiler, Finn Krebsbach, Tom Bringer, Mathis Schmidgen
Substituted:
Florian Hoffmann, Jonas Schwiperich, Janne Schneider, Peter Boeder, Noah Weidenbach
Tore
1:0 (21') Max Matschall, 2:0 (29') Maxi Trierweiler, 3:0 (90'+3) Mathis Schmidgen