Rot-Weiß Essen vs Borussia Mönchengladbach

Leszczyński's goal-line clearance in the 52nd minute. Had Telalovic's shot crossed the line to make it 1-1, the dynamic of the second half would have shifted entirely. The young Polish defender's alertness kept Gladbach ahead, and Mohya's composed finish 22 minutes later effectively killed the contest.

Hugo Bolin (Gladbach) — ⭐ Player of the match. The Swedish summer signing scored his third goal in two friendlies, showing sharp movement and a clinical finish. His link-up with Hack in the build-up was the match's most technically refined moment.

Wael Mohya (Gladbach) — The 17-year-old scored for the second consecutive friendly, this time with a sublime curling effort. He also registered an assist in the Wuppertal win. A growing case for Bundesliga minutes.

Daniel Batz (Gladbach) — The second-half goalkeeper made several important saves, including a reflex stop against Telalovic and a critical foot save, and was visibly frustrated by the late own goal that cost him a clean sheet.

Jan Leszczyński (Gladbach) — His goal-line clearance in the 52nd minute was the defensive moment of the match. Composed and physical in the second half.

Noah Pesch (RWE) — The former Gladbach youth midfielder was RWE's most dangerous player, forcing Nicolas into a fine save and generally unsettled Gladbach's midfield.

The match lacked detailed xG data, but the pattern was clear: Gladbach dominated possession and territory in the first half but lacked a cutting edge until Bolin's strike. RWE grew into the game after the break, particularly after the 10-man Gladbach substitution — the second-half XI (average age approximately 21) looked disjointed for the opening 15 minutes. The shot count was relatively even, but Gladbach's quality in the final third told, with both goals coming from technically precise finishes rather than volume. The 8,821 crowd — near capacity at the Hafenstraße — created a genuine test atmosphere, a step up from the 4,600 who watched the Wuppertal friendly.

Gladbach have two wins from two pre-season outings against lower-division opponents, scoring eight goals and conceding one. The caveat remains the level of opposition — Wuppertal (5th tier) and Rot-Weiss Essen (3rd tier) — but individual performances from Bolin (3 goals), Mohya (2 goals, 1 assist) and the integration of summer signings Lidberg and Leszczyński are positives. The injury to Yukhym Konoplia (early substitution, knee) is a concern ahead of a tougher test.

For Rot-Weiss Essen, this was their penultimate friendly before the 3. Liga season. They face Bayer 04 Leverkusen on 1 August before their competitive opener.

Gladbach's next fixture: vs Hansa Rostock (A) — 1 August 2026 RWE's next fixture: vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen (A) — 1 August 2026

A composed first half and a jittery second half — Polanski will have learned more from the 45 minutes after the mass changes than from the controlled opening period. Gladbach's depth, especially in attack, looks promising; the defensive cohesion, particularly with a young back four, needs work. RWE showed they can compete with Bundesliga opposition in patches, but the quality gap in the final third was decisive.