Saarbücken produced a remarkable comeback to beat Rot-Weiss Essen 5:2 in the opening match of the 3. Liga Regular Season on Saturday. The hosts had fallen behind 2:0 after ten minutes when B. Huning opened the scoring for the visitors, but they turned the game around with three goals in the second half to claim victory at home.
Essen took an early lead through Huning in the tenth minute, then doubled their advantage when S. Telalovic found the net in the thirtieth. Saarbücken responded through M. Cvjetinovic thirty-three minutes in, before C. Kuhlwetter equalised just before the break. Essen regained the lead when K. Brunker scored in the seventy-fourth minute, but Saarbücken refused to let the match slip away.
The turning point came after the restart. Saarbücken pushed forward with determination, and S. Voet's goal in the eighty-ninth minute brought them level. The decisive moment arrived in stoppage time when the hosts added a fifth goal to complete the turnaround. By then, Essen had already been reduced to defending deep.
Both teams shared possession evenly at fifty percent, but Saarbücken created more chances with seven attacks compared to their opponents' sixty-four. The home side registered six shots on target against three for Essen, while the visitors managed only three corners to Saarbücken's four. Essen picked up five yellow cards compared to the hosts' two.
The result moves Saarbücken to second place in the table with nine points from four games, while Essen remain in sixth with seven points after two victories, one draw and one defeat. The hosts had drawn their previous three matches before securing this win, while Essen's recent form includes heavy defeats to Leverkusen and Gladbach.