Rot-Weiss Essen 1-0 Greuther FürthGoals: 1-0 Müsel 62’
The stakes could hardly have been higher as Rot-Weiss Essen hosted Greuther Fürth in the first leg of the Bundesliga 2 promotion/relegation play-off. For Essen, it represented a long-awaited shot at returning to the second tier for the first time since 2006/07, secured after a dramatic final-day winner from Ben Hüning at Ulm.
Fürth, meanwhile, arrived having only narrowly avoided automatic relegation on the final day of the Bundesliga 2 season, with top scorer Noel Futkeu — the division's leading marksman with 19 goals — spearheading their survival bid.
Both coaches named unchanged sides from their respective final-day fixtures, with Essen boss Uwe Koschinat trusting the same starting eleven that had beaten Ulm, while Fürth manager Heiko Vogel also kept faith with the team that had defeated Fortuna Düsseldorf 3-0.
