"So Close": RWE Between Disappointment and Optimism

A cup upset was within reach, but after their narrow elimination, third-division club Rot-Weiss Essen felt a mix of pride in their performance and disappointment. “We didn’t take the field just to be proud—we also wanted to be successful. When you’re that close, it hurts a little,” said RWE coach Uwe Koschinat after the 1-2 loss in the second round of the DFB Cup against RB Leipzig.

Nevertheless, the 55-year-old coach drew a generally positive conclusion: “We have nothing to blame ourselves for.” His team’s performance made the fans proud. “It’s nice when you look into people’s faces and feel the atmosphere here and know: What we put on the field has made these RWE fans incredibly proud once again,” said Koschinat.

Despite being eliminated from the cup: RWE takes a lot of confidence with them

After an early goal by Lucas Brumme (9th minute), RWE had reason to hope for an upset for a long time. After Leipzig’s Nicolas Seiwald was sent off shortly before halftime, hopes of advancing grew. It wasn’t until the closing stages that RB substitute Christoph Baumgartner struck twice (78th and 82nd minutes), shattering Essen’s dream.

“There was simply more to be had today. It could have worked out—maybe it even should have. In the end, of course, you also see the quality of the players who came off the bench for Leipzig,” goal-scorer Brumme summed up, somewhat frustrated. Nevertheless, Essen takes a lot of confidence from the match heading into the league: “We’ve seen that we can keep up with anyone and beat anyone. We’re fully in the game and can win against anyone.”