Late Drama at Düren: Hosts Outlast Hennef 05 in Seven-Goal Thriller to Snap Winless Streak

Under slate-gray autumn skies at the Sportfreunde Düren Kunstrasen, relief poured over the home faithful at the final whistle, as SF Düren emerged 4-3 victors against Hennef 05 in a contest that will live long in Oberliga Mittelrhein memory. After five matches without a victory, Düren rediscovered their scoring edge in a fluctuating game of shifting tides and late drama—dealing Hennef 05 another setback in a season already creaking under pressure.

Düren, who had conceded fifteen goals in their previous five outings and hadn’t tasted victory since the campaign’s opening weeks, set the tone early. Determined to arrest their slide, the hosts pressed high and attacked with purpose. Their reward came as early as the 9th minute, when Florian Schmitz found space at the top of the penalty area and struck a low drive past Hennef’s goalkeeper Jonas Hübner. The finish was clinical, but the move—sparked by Düren’s high pressing—seemed to still the nerves that had haunted the side in recent weeks.

Yet, if Düren believed control was theirs, Hennef 05 had other ideas. With just a single win from their previous six and stuck in 16th place, the visitors showed urgency befitting their precarious position. In the 20th minute, midfielder Cem Toprak capitalized on a defensive lapse to bring Hennef level, silencing the home crowd and briefly swinging the match’s momentum. The next fifteen minutes became a midfield battle, punctuated by Düren’s lively counterattacks and Hennef’s attempts to exploit the hosts’ defensive frailties.

The game’s true drama unfolded in the second half. Both sides, desperate for points, opened up, and the match tilted into chaos. Düren reclaimed the lead in the 51st minute—captain David Klein rising to head home a perfectly weighted corner from Dennis Faber. That advantage proved short-lived. Barely three minutes later, Hennef’s striker Janek Weber responded with a poacher’s finish, prodding the ball over the line from six yards after a goalmouth scramble.

At 2-2 and with an hour played, the contest hung on a knife’s edge. But the turning point came midway through the half. In the 67th minute, Hennef’s right-back Tim Berger, already on a yellow, lunged for a loose ball and caught Düren’s Marvin Koch late. Referee Michael Lotz had little choice—a second booking, and Berger was dismissed to the furious protestations of the Hennef bench.

Sensing opportunity, Düren surged forward with renewed vigor. Within five minutes, they struck. Substitute Samuel Adomah, just three minutes on the pitch, ghosted in at the far post to volley in Düren’s third from close range. As the home crowd buzzed, Düren’s relentless pressing forced another mistake deep in Hennef territory, resulting in a fourth goal: this time Klein again, drilling in his second of the match in the 78th minute to give Düren an apparently safe cushion at 4-2.

But Hennef, dogged despite their numerical disadvantage, clawed back hope. In the 88th minute, Toprak converted a penalty after a rash challenge in the area, setting up a frantic finish. As the clock ticked into stoppage time, Düren supporters braced for another late heartbreak—a pattern familiar from previous weeks.

Yet, this time, the hosts held firm. The final whistle sparked celebration and no small measure of relief for a squad that had endured a punishing run of form. For Düren, victory brings not only three points but a desperately needed injection of confidence, temporarily easing concerns of a descent into the relegation mire.

For Hennef 05, the result deepens an early-season crisis. Firmly rooted in 16th with just four points from seven matches, the club’s defensive vulnerabilities and disciplinary woes remain glaring. The sending off of Berger proved pivotal, and a familiar pattern—conceding after periods of parity—leaves Hennef searching for answers as pressure mounts on manager Thorsten Nehrbauer.

In recent meetings, Düren has often had the upper hand on home soil, but few encounters have spilled as much drama across a turbulent ninety minutes. Both clubs find themselves facing seasons at a crossroads: Düren’s win offers a lifeline and potential springboard, while Hennef’s downward spiral continues amid growing scrutiny.

Looking ahead, Düren’s challenge will be to harness the spirit and attacking verve displayed here, knowing the specter of defensive lapses still looms. For Hennef 05, the path forward is less clear. With matches coming thick and fast, and confidence in short supply, the task is urgent—to regroup, restore discipline, and rediscover the formula that brought their lone win just weeks ago. In the white-hot contest at Sportfreunde Düren, both teams revealed their flaws and their fighting spirit. Only time will tell which proves more decisive in the battles to come.