The dominance of Fortuna Cologne and Alemannia Aachen was broken on Game Day 2 of the Sparkassen Verbandsliga Rheinland. Two new teams secured the top spots in the table – while in Solingen, there was a studio storm.
Fortuna Cologne had made a flawless start to the Sparkassen Verbandsliga Rheinland two weeks ago on Game Day 1. That statistic took its first hit on Friday evening: after four more wins, Cologne were crushed by TS Struck in their final game. Starting as slight favorites thanks to their 3-2 win in the first leg, a lot went wrong for Fortuna right from the start.
Struck scored twice in the opening minutes of the game, extended their lead before halftime, and ultimately won 5-0. Cologne’s first slip-up of the 2025 season on the tenth matchday meant they lost their lead in the table. Struck, who are level on points, now top the table with an eleven-goal better goal difference.
The new leaders of Division A had already shown themselves to be in outstanding form on game day 2 before the top match against Fortuna. Struck laid the foundation for their subsequent rise to the top with victories over DJK-SSV Ommerborn Sand (3-1), relegated SC Krefeld 05 (2-0), Tura Pohlhausen (15-0), and Arminia Klosterhardt (13-0). This put them in pole position for Game Day 3 on October 3.
Velbert lurks, Pohlhausen scores points
Union Velbert lurks behind the leading duo, each with 27 points, just three points behind. After a 0:3 defeat against Cologne in their opening game, the team went on to win the remaining four games. DJK-SSV Ommerborn Sand (18 points) will need a minor miracle at the end of the league phase to finish in one of the top two places.
For TuS Borth (15), Tura Pohlhausen (6), Arminia Klosterhardt (3), and SC Krefeld 05 (0 points), this hope has already been dashed. The latter team withdrew from the league before Game Day 2 – all games are scored 2-0 for the opponent. Pohlhausen was at least able to celebrate its first points of the 2025 season with a 1-0 win over Klosterhardt.
Aachen remains undefeated – but draws too often
As in Division A, there was also a change at the top of the table in Division B on Friday evening: Alemannia Aachen remained undefeated, but also had to accept three draws. These included a 1-1 draw in the second final rematch of 2024 against ESC Rellinghausen, who took the lead with one more win overall.
While Aachen could not manage more than a 2-2 draw against BSC Union Solingen and Wuppertaler SV, Rellinghausen won its remaining four games. The ESC (24 points) now has a two-point lead over Alemannia (22). On Game Day 3, Aachen will have to hope for slip-ups from last year’s final opponents in order to advance directly to the Final4.
Wuppertal celebrates exuberantly in Solingen
Tied on points with the defending champions and therefore also still in the race for first place: Wuppertaler SV (22). With four wins and a draw against Aachen, WSV remained within striking distance of the league leaders – and that in front of a special backdrop: on Friday evening, Wuppertal played at the E-Sport Lounge in Solingen, which they completely took over after their strong performances.
During the interview with team captain Kai ‘WSV_Kopsy90’ Thomas, the entire team stormed into the studio, celebrated exuberantly, and sent the audience off into the night with loud chants. The jump to the Final4 seems feasible for Wuppertal because they will face Rellinghausen on Game Day 3. The goal difference behind Aachen is “only” six goals. They are followed by BSC Union Solingen (13 points), 1. FC Düren (9) and the B04eSports team (7), which was only able to win against TSV Norf (11:2), who remain bottom of the table without any points, on Game Day 2.
Outlook: Gameday 3 brings the first decisions
Gameday 3 will take place on October 3 and will decide how the rest of the season will unfold. The top teams in Divisions A and B will advance directly to the Final4 on November 22 at XPERION in Cologne. The teams ranked 2nd to 8th will have to compete in the playoffs on October 17, with the two second-placed teams entering in the second round.
In the playoffs, two more participants for the big offline event will be determined in a knockout system. The Final4 will feature two semifinals and a final, as well as a match for third place.
