Meppen beat Sonnenhof Grossaspach 2:0 at the Hensch-Arena on Saturday in the second matchday of the 3. Liga regular season. The hosts took both goals from open play, one from Rankic early on and another from Prasse after the break. It was a clean sheet for Meppen and a result that keeps them level on points with their visitors.
Rankic gave Meppen the lead in the sixth minute, a moment that set the tone for the first half. Grossaspach responded with possession but struggled to find the final pass. By then, Meppen had already established a rhythm that their visitors could not quite match. The home side controlled the tempo without needing to force the issue.
The second half brought a turning point when Prasse doubled the advantage in the fifty-eighth minute. And here's the thing — the goal came from a moment of patience rather than haste. Grossaspach pushed forward in search of a response but found Meppen's back line well organised. The home side then sat deeper and let the game flow into their hands.
Substitutions began in force after the hour mark. Meppen brought on Fass, while Grossaspach shuffled their attacking options with changes for Nuraj and Pollex. The visitors tried to stretch the back line but Meppen held their nerve through a period of sustained pressure. Prasse himself was subbed off in the eightieth minute, having been booked earlier for a tactical foul.
The statistics tell a familiar story. Meppen recorded nine shots on target from fewer attacks, while Grossaspach managed only five despite controlling 60 per cent of possession. Shots accuracy sat at 47 per cent for the hosts against 36 per cent for the visitors. Many shots meant little when the chances went begging.
Both sides remain level on six points after four matches. Meppen sit eleventh and Grossaspach tenth, a gap of one place in a league where margins are slim. The result ended a run of mixed form for Meppen, who had lost their opening fixture 3:0 away to MSV Duisburg. Grossaspach, meanwhile, extended a pattern of inconsistency that has seen them win two and lose two across the opening rounds.