On Wednesday evening, our U15 team, led by head coach Oliver Johann, kicked off the new season with an exciting local derby against promoted side JSG Remagen. Despite a strong first half, Remagen managed to turn the game around in the second half and ultimately won 2-1 (0-1).
Our young talents showed fighting spirit from the start and took control of the game. The first dangerous scoring chances were created by Luca Esper and Lorian Diabi, but the JSG goalkeeper, Can Sargin, initially managed to save them. But then the moment finally arrived: Luca Esper scored the deserved 0-1 (24') after a corner kick, with David Lorca bringing the ball in front of the goal. The striker, who has experience in the Rheinlandliga, put us in the lead. Our team remained active and consistently created dangerous attacking moments. Our newcomer Gulio Cristofalo (photo), who celebrated his debut, was particularly active in the front line. We could have led by a higher margin at halftime, but for the time being, it remained 0-1.
Shortly after the restart, Tim Dahm had the opportunity to score a second goal after preparation by Luca Esper, but Can Sargin once again made a strong save. Then, the hosts equalized to 1-1 (38') through Lev Rumak after a good build-up. This goal proved to be a wake-up call for the JSG, who then played much more actively. Finally, they managed to score the decisive 2-1 (60') through a directly converted free kick by Leonard Foniqi from a central position, about 20 meters from the goal. Despite some successful counter-attacks, we were denied the equalizer.
The victory for Remagen was not undeserved, although we could have decided the game in the first half. We are looking ahead and preparing for the next challenge on Saturday when we play FC Plaidt. Plaidt is currently at the top of the table with two wins.