Rouen and Düsseldorf met in a club friendly on Friday, with the hosts securing a narrow 3:2 victory. The match took place on 2026-09-05, marking a return to competitive action for both sides after their respective pre-season preparations.
Rouen's recent form has been uneven, to be fair. They lost 1:5 to Ajuoa in mid-August, then suffered three consecutive defeats to Bordeaux, going 3:4, 0:1 and 3:5 before a 1:4 loss. That run of results left them searching for consistency ahead of this fixture.
Düsseldorf arrived with more momentum on their side. They had beaten Amiens 6:2 on the same day in another friendly, then lost 2:3 to Krefeld Pinguins before securing two comfortable wins against Tilburg Trappers and Bitigheim. They were on a decent run heading into this encounter.
By then, the scoreline told a simpler story than the recent form suggested. Rouen managed to dig deep and find a result, something they hadn't been able to do in their previous handful of matches. The goal difference of one was fitting for a game where both sides had chances but neither could pull away.
It was a friendly, yes, but the margin of victory mattered. Rouen showed they could grind out a result when needed, while Düsseldorf learned that their attacking displays hadn't translated into guaranteed wins. Three points on the board for the hosts, even if only in a warm-up context.