Clear success for SVE in test match against Eupen
The pitch in Bitburg was scorching at above 30 degrees, but SV Elversberg still put in an impressive performance last Saturday with plenty of pace and intensity. SVE took a clear 4:1 win in their test match against KAS Eupen, with the goals supplied by Filimon Gerezghier, Mohammad Mahmoud and a double from Dominik Martinovic.
The team was once again a few players down: Frederik Jäkel is of course still in rehab with a ruptured cruciate ligament, Joseph Boyamba also has a strain, and goalkeeper Nicolas Kristof is ill. Goalkeeper Tim Boss therefore had 90 minutes in goal. Boss was joined by Robin Fellhauer, Manuel Feil, Semih Sahin, Luca Dürholtz and Lukas Pinckert as well as Paul Stock, Carlo Sickinger, Luca Schnellbacher, Filimon Gerezgiher and Maurice Neubauer. All of the other outfield players were deployed in the second half. And particularly pleasingly, youth players Louis Westrich and Gianluca Rinchiuso were also used.
The Elversberg team were impressively dominant against the Belgian second-league team in the first half in particular. Eupen barely got near the Elversberg goal, as the host’s defence thwarted most threats early on. Conversely, Elversberg kept their opponents under consistent pressure. Nevertheless, Maurice Neubauer and Luca Schnellbacher both failed to score against goalkeeper Nurudeen (6th/17th minute), and a header from Carlo Sickinger after a corner kick hit the crossbar (12th minute). Elversberg then gained a well-deserved lead after some thirty minutes: Schnellbacher passed to Gerezgiher, who broke free and scored with a powerful shot from 15 metres out to make it 1:0 (36th minute). Shortly before the half-time whistle, however, the team were hit with a setback when Luca Schnellbacher suffered an injured foot in a one-on-one and was forced to leave the pitch. An exact diagnosis has not yet been made. After the break and various changes on both sides, the Belgian second league team established a better foothold in the game. Goalkeeper Tim Boss showed his mettle several times to deflect the opponent’s strikers, but was powerless in the 50th minute when Jan Gorenc equalised with a header following a corner. Although the game was more evenly matched from this point, Elversberg retained overall control and took the lead once again. Martinovic scored twice: first he converted a penalty kick to make it 2:1 (64th minute), and then brought things to 3:1 (86th minute) building on strong preparations by Freddy Schmahl. Mo Mahmoud finished things off by converting a penalty and putting the score at 4:1 (89th minute).
The Elversberg players are now entering their final week of preparations, which include another two test matches. In Zuzenhausen on Wednesday 24 July at 5 p.m., the team is facing first division team TSG Hoffenheim, then Saturday 27 July sees their final test match against Viktoria Köln at 2 p.m. in Elversberg.