Big day for Elione Fernandes Neto. The only 17-year-old is the youngest player in the Düsseldorf Fortunes. He is also the last contingent that the massively weakened team can muster. But it is enough to board a harmless cog from Rostock.
Fortuna Düsseldorf shot its way up to the top positions in the 2nd Bundesliga with a lot of energy and determination. The weakened team of coach Daniel Thioune 3: 1 (2: 0) won against FC Hansa Rostock. After the fourth win of the season in the eighth game, the Fortunes, who only had 15 professionals left, jumped to fourth place in the table with 14 points. After goals from Dawid Kownacki (10th minute), the outstanding captain Marcel Sobottka (27th) and substitute Emmanuel Iyoha (77th) in front of 26,719 spectators, the former Bundesliga club is now one point behind the relegation rank.
Only Lukas Fröde (64th) scored for the frighteningly harmless North Germans in the second half after coach Jens Härtel had taken more risks. Overall, Rostock, who lost for the third time in a row, had few chances even after the change.
Fortuna, however, seems ready for the top game next Saturday evening at second-placed Hamburger SV, at least in terms of passion and commitment. However, the question arises as to how many professionals the former HSV coach Thioune will then have available. He had to do without a number of seasoned players against Rostock. In the second half, youngster Elione Fernandes Neto, who had just turned 17, became the youngest player ever to play for Fortuna's professionals.
Even without many injured top performers, Fortuna was dominant. Captain Sobottka in particular showed a strong performance, won a number of duels and initiated almost every attack. The Fortunes' lead was also worth seeing, when Kownacki volleyed in a great volley from Tim Oberdorf, the brother of national player Lena Oberdorf, into the goal.
