Alemannia edged Fortuna Düsseldorf 1:0 in the Third League's seventh round at the Tivoli on Saturday. Lukas Scepanik's early goal proved enough as the hosts held on despite losing Elias Egouli to a red card. The result leaves Alemannia three points clear in sixth place, while Fortuna remain in ninth with one point less.
The opening exchanges belonged to the visitors, who moved the ball with more confidence. Then Scepanik found space and finished cleanly in the tenth minute. Fortuna pushed for an equaliser but their attacks lacked a clear cut chance. By then the game had settled into a rhythm neither side could break.
Fortuna's frustration showed in bookings. Egouli picked up his first in the seventeenth minute, followed by Wekesser and Bagalianis before half-time. The hosts kept things tight, making three changes at the interval — Bouchama, Förster and Zimmermann all came on together. Fortuna tried to find a way through but their shots stayed wide.
The red card came in the sixty-second minute when Egouli was sent off. Suddenly Fortuna had to chase the game with ten men. Alemannia made their changes one by one — Eixler for Bagalianis, then Wekesser off for Ermolaev. The visitors threw bodies forward but could not create anything meaningful.
The statistics tell the story of a game decided by moments. Fortuna had more attacks — 114 to 100 — and dominated possession at 56 per cent. But they managed only three shots on target compared to Alemannia's eight. Big chances created sat at zero for both sides, which says more about finishing than effort.
Alemannia now sit on 11 points after seven games, with three wins, two draws and two defeats. Fortuna have 10 points at the same stage, their record reading three wins, one draw and three losses. Both sides showed why this division is so competitive — one moment, one decision, and the table shifts.
