Season start successful! The SV Rot-Weiss Merl starts successfully in the Middle Rhine League.
As we did last year, we are accompanying the Merl girls through their season this year as well. After last year's promotion, they are now competing against stronger teams and well-known opponents such as Alemannia Aachen. But since last season, the Merl girls have had a secret to their success: their record when wearing the jerseys sponsored by CURENTIS is eight wins and only one defeat.
The first matchday brings a derby
On the first matchday, the derby against the women of Sportfreunde Ippendorf was already on the agenda. Last year's encounter in the FVM Cup was won 4:1 by the women from Merl. But on the first matchday there was a big difference to the last game - the Ippendorf women enjoyed home rights. In recent years, the Merlerinnen could hardly score points at the place of the derby opponent. This should now finally change.
Right from the start, the Merler girls put on the pressure, but hardly any clear scoring chances were created. The nervousness was noticeable to the players, as well as the coaching team. Despite clear superiority, the Merlerinnen were running behind from the 24th minute. Ippendorf used their only scoring chance to take the lead.
This was the wake-up call that the ladies of SV Rot-Weiss Merl needed. Accuracy increased and scoring chances were converted before halftime. Within two minutes, the women turned a 0:1 into a 2:1.
The inaccuracy of the Merlerinnen spares the opponent a beating
In the second half, the picture was similar. The women from Merl were dominant and created scoring chances. But these were too rarely exploited. In the end, the score was "only" 4:1 for the guests from Merl. Considering the clear scoring chances, this game could have ended with a double-digit score.
The second match day can also be seen as a success
The second matchday was the first home game in the new league. Here, the Merl women received the relegated team from the regional league and promotion favorites Alemannia Aachen. The roles were clear - Merl wanted to put up a fight and Aachen was determined to return home with three points. Now the Merlerinnen found themselves in the role of the underdog and wanted to annoy the opponent over 90 minutes - you should succeed.
Compactness leads to the point win
The entire game was characterized by strong defensive performances. Aachen, as well as Merl, hardly allowed any scoring chances in the first half. The teams neutralized each other in midfield and were anxious not to fall behind.
In the second half, the women from Merl were able to take control of the game and were closer to the opening goal than the guests from Aachen. Nevertheless, the score remained 0-0 after 90 minutes.
