Well finally! No discussions about referee decisions, no would-if analyses, just a normal win for 1860 Munich! But of course he had a joke ready: During the week, the managing director of the Munich third division team, Christian Werner, wrote a letter to the German Football Association in which the word “distortion of competition” also appeared after the Lions were also accused of one had lost 1:2 against Hansa Rostock due to the controversial hand penalty. On Sunday, away to Rot-Weiss Essen, they were awarded a penalty for the first time since Werner has been working in Munich, i.e. for almost a year.
But it was hardly because Werner had sharpened the referees’ senses with his letter; rather, it was a penalty that you can just give. Captain Thore Jacobsen drove the ball into the right corner with concentration and great satisfaction (37′). The ultimately clear and deserved 3-0 (1-0) said little about their own playing strength, but a lot about the uncertainty that prevails in Essen. And because the supposed bad decisions mentioned by Werner rarely affected away games, the Lions are now in first place in the away table. Seen this way, it is also a distorted picture: the team would be promoted away from home and relegated in their own stadium (19th place!).
Before the game, coach Argirios Giannikis was asked what he would want from the football Christ child, if that were possible. “More consistency,” he had replied. But it is the sixties themselves that distort competition in many ways, with their completely unpredictable fluctuations in performance. But Giannikis thinks his wish has already come true: “We had a defeat in the last five games. This is not inconstant.”
This time there was at least a consistent game at a moderate level. That was enough because Giannikis’ former employer from Hafenstrasse is currently far too busy with himself. It was also not without a certain explosiveness that Sascha Mölders, of all people, criticized Essen’s squad planning at halftime on the magenta microphone – Marc-Nicolai Pfeifer, who was managing director at Sechzig when Mölders had to leave in 2021, is among those responsible for this.
Giannikis makes three substitutions at the right time, Philipp serves Schubert to make it 3-0
In fact, the Giannikis team tried to take the initiative on the pitch early on. The ball was often won deep in the opponent’s half, but the first opportunities were not finished well. Attacker Patrick Hobsch wasn’t fed with good assists, but he used his cleverness in a different way: he cleverly put his leg in front of the ball in the 36th minute, and his opponent Rios Alonso almost couldn’t help but kick it , the penalty whistle came without hesitation. Immediately after the break, Julian Guttau made it 2-0; Essen goalkeeper Jakob Golz probably saw his long-range shot from a good 20 meters come too late (49′).
When Tobias Kraulich also saw the red card for a foul against Soichiro Kozuki – a tough decision, but the act itself was a little harder – the game seemed to be over. After that, however, Essen had its best phase and fired several, albeit rather harmless, shots on goal. Sixty’s performance wasn’t entirely consistent. However, Giannikis made three substitutions at the right time (79′), substitute David Philipp served substitute Fabian Schubert, and then the game was finally decided. “We played a very good away game and allowed three or four counterattacks, but overall we deserved to win,” said Giannikis happily.
Many Essen fans were already leaving the stadium. What was more surprising was that the sixty block was already largely empty. According to fan reports, a supporter was arrested at the entrance before the game, the active scene showed solidarity and left the stadium again in the first half to wait for the final whistle. On Saturday, Sixty will welcome SC Verl and will try to finally remove the distorting mirror in the Grünwalder Stadium.
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