Goalkeeper scores as outfield player: DSC 99 wins lackluster derby against Lohausen

DSC 99 wins the Bezirksliga derby against Lohausener SV 2-0 – but the match remains lackluster for long stretches. The most remarkable moment comes from Mattis Klöpper of all people: the regular goalkeeper, once again deployed as an outfield player, scores in stoppage time and sets the final point.

High tempo, many clear combinations, lots of chances: none of that characterizes this derby. And yet the result is clear. DSC 99 takes advantage of an early lapse by the guests, defends solidly afterwards – and seals the deal late on.

Baysal exploits Lohausen’s gap early

Sportingly, there isn’t much at stake for DSC 99 in this constellation, but the derby character is still palpable. In the end, only a few scenes are decisive – and the first comes early.

In the 14th minute, Anton Redlich wins the ball and sends Onurcan Baysal through with a through pass into open space. Baysal remains calm in front of Lohausen’s goalkeeper Arda Cakmak and slots into the right corner to make it 1-0. It fits the picture of a Lohausen defense that stands too open in several situations and offers DSC 99 spaces that would normally not arise so clearly at this level.

Added to this: DSC 99 has to improvise again. The squad is small, the options on the bench are limited – besides Klöpper, only the youth player Alban Ademi and Piet Stracke, who is also still eligible for the U19 and had just returned from Australia, are sitting there. In such constellations, roles are shifted faster than a coach would plan in an ideally staffed derby week.

Lohausen has possession, but too little penetration

Lohausen is better staffed, but cannot capitalize on it. Coach Nikos Tsakiris sees decent approaches in the first half: more possession, pleasing combinations – but the sharpness in the final third is missing. Thus, the effort usually ends without a finish.

The best opportunity before the break falls to Nils Sprenger: he gets past the byline, shoots from a tight angle and hits the inside post. It is Lohausen’s biggest chance in a game that the guests control at times, but rarely turn into compelling actions.

Additionally, Lohausen suffers a loss at the wrong time. Captain and defensive stabilizer Niklas Macher has to leave injured before halftime; whether he will be available next weekend is unclear. Of all times, a direct competitor awaits with CfR Links: a draw would be enough for Lohausen to mathematically secure survival. With a defeat, CfR, currently in the relegation spot 15, could close the gap to four points. The remaining schedule also increases the pressure: Links could play ahead against Uedesheim the following Wednesday, while Lohausen has to play at SG Benrath-Hassels on Sunday.

Klöpper sets the final point as an outfield player

The most unusual personnel decision of the afternoon finally provides the scene that will likely be talked about for a while in Lohausen and on Windscheidstraße. Mattis Klöpper, normally a goalkeeper, is once again deployed as an outfield player by coach Sascha Walbröhl – and helps decide the derby.

In stoppage time, Klöpper receives the ball slightly off-center to the goal, takes aim and calmly slots into the far corner: 2-0. Walbröhl explicitly praises the action: “He really did that goal very well.” However, the DSC coach is not satisfied with the overall performance. “Overall, it was a weak game, we didn’t perform well either,” says Walbröhl after the final whistle.

So it remains a derby that lives less from playing quality than from efficiency and moments. DSC 99 wins deservedly, without shining. Lohausen shows approaches, but remains too harmless in front of goal – and heads into a week with injury concerns about Macher, where the relegation battle is about more than just points.