First blood to RW Essen in 2. Bundesliga relegation playoff | OneFootball

In a tense and cagey encounter at a raucous Stadion an der Hafenstraße, it took until the second half for the contest to truly spring into life. Torben Müsel’s superb free-kick ultimately proved the difference, handing Uwe Koschinat’s side a hard-fought win and leaving Fürth with plenty to ponder ahead of the second leg.

Roared on by a sea of red in Essen, the hosts aimed to feed off the electric atmosphere from the outset. However, despite the intensity in the stands, the opening half failed to match the occasion on the pitch as both sides cautiously attempted to feel each other out.

A scrappy opening period littered with fouls, stoppages and yellow cards prevented either team from finding any rhythm. The first meaningful opportunity arrived in the 16th minute and fell to the visitors, as Jannik Dehm tried his luck from fully 35 yards. The full-back’s ambitious strike dipped viciously and crashed against the crossbar, much to Essen’s relief.

That proved to be the closest either side came before the interval, with chances at a premium throughout a forgettable first half. Neither goalkeeper was seriously tested, and the lack of attacking quality was reflected by both teams failing to register a shot on target before the break.

The game finally began to open up after the restart, particularly in Essen’s favour. Around the hour mark, the hosts enjoyed their best spell of the evening and came close to breaking the deadlock when Torben Müsel capitalised on a poor clearance from Silas Prüfrock, only for the Fürth goalkeeper to recover in time and prevent the opener.

Moments later, Essen were handed a golden opportunity after Kaito Mizuta won a free-kick right on the edge of the area. Müsel stepped up and made no mistake this time, curling a magnificent effort into the top corner beyond the helpless Prüfrock to spark jubilant celebrations inside the stadium after 62 minutes.

Fürth struggled to muster any meaningful response despite enjoying large spells of possession. Heiko Vogel’s side looked short of ideas in the final third, continually frustrated by an organised and resolute Essen defence that refused to give anything away.

Essen, meanwhile, remained dangerous on the counter and nearly doubled their advantage late on when Jannik Hofmann found space inside the box, only to volley over from close range. In the end, it mattered little, as the hosts comfortably saw out four minutes of added time to secure a valuable first-leg lead ahead of the return fixture.