SC Preußen Münster avoided a major upset in the Westfalenpokal on Tuesday evening, battling back from an early deficit to secure a 3-2 victory against SG Wattenscheid 09 at the Lohrheidestadion. Before a crowd of 3,100 spectators, the visitors had to dig deep to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals, where they will face Westfalenligist BSV Schüren.

The match carried significant pressure for Thomas Wörle’s side, who entered the fixture on the back of five consecutive winless matches in the league, including a 3-2 defeat against Sonnenhof Großaspach after squandering a two-goal lead. With qualification for the first round of the DFB-Pokal—worth roughly €500,000 to the club—on the line, a slip-up would have deepened the crisis surrounding the team.

Early Shock and Tactical Adjustments in the Lohrheide

The hosts seized the initiative early when Illia Poliakov opened the scoring for Wattenscheid in the 15th minute, placing the visitors under immediate pressure. The early setback forced Münster coach Thomas Wörle to react swiftly, making a triple substitution at halftime by introducing Niklas Varelmann, Felix Higl, and Philipp Maier to stabilize the side.

The tactical shift bore fruit shortly after the break. Charalambos Makridis leveled the score at 1-1 in the 56th minute before Joshua Mees fired the visitors ahead in the 63rd minute. Varelmann then extended Münster’s lead to 3-1 in the 79th minute, seemingly putting the match out of reach.

Late Drama and Closing Stages

Wattenscheid refused to surrender quietly. Kevin Schacht converted a penalty in the 87th minute to narrow the deficit to 3-2, setting up a tense finish. However, Münster managed to run down the clock during the final moments and stoppage time to preserve the narrow advantage.

The encounter revived memories of the clubs’ meeting in November 2022, when Preußen surrendered a 4-1 halftime lead before snatching a 5-4 victory in stoppage time. This time, there was no late collapse, though the narrow margin reflected the current fragility within the Münster squad.

With the win secured, Preußen Münster advances to the quarterfinals of the Westfalenpokal to face BSV Schüren, while Wattenscheid turns its attention back to competition.

Match Details

Thomas Gösweiner), Maximilian Adamski, Nicolas Hirschberger (84. Agon Arifi), Kaan Kurt, Robert Tochukwu Nnaji (76. Kevin Schacht), Finn Wortmann (84. Isaak Nwachukwu), and Illia Poliakov (76. Eduard Renke), under trainer Przemek Czapp alongside co-trainer Florian Bartel and playing co-trainer Nico Buckmaier.

SC Preußen Münster lined up with Matthis Harsman, Niko Koulis (46. Felix Higl), Wesley Adeh, Romario Rösch (90. Torge Paetow), Charalambos Makridis, Montell Ndikom (19. Joshua Mees), and Marvin Schulz (46. Philipp Maier), directed by trainer Thomas Wörle alongside co-trainers Kieran Schulze-Marmeling, Janis Hohenhövel, and Maximilian Knauer. Referee Cengiz Kabalakli officiated the fixture.