FC 08 Homburg vs FC Emmelshausen-Karbach

Qenaj's 4th-minute opener — the earliest goal of the match — immediately set the tone. It forced Emmelshausen-Karbach onto the back foot inside the opening five minutes and allowed Homburg to dictate the tempo for the remainder of the half. The penalty just before the whistle gave the visitors a foothold, but the damage was already done.

Armend Qenaj opened the scoring and was a persistent threat, drawing fouls and creating space for teammates in the final third. Marc Ehrhart, the new arrival, marked his first appearance with a goal and forced the opposing goalkeeper into two saves in the second half. Justin Petermann scored the third and nearly added a fourth with a header in the 53rd minute. Head coach Roland Seitz praised the collective display: "For the first outing after a hard training week, that was solid. We scored three nice goals but could have had one or two more."

Possession heavily favoured Homburg, who controlled the tempo throughout but lacked incision in the final third at times. The 3-1 scoreline flattered Emmelshausen-Karbach in terms of the gap in quality: Homburg created several further chances in the second half — Petermann's headed miss in the 53rd minute, Ehrhart twice denied by the keeper, and Irakli Maruashvili firing from the edge of the box in the 76th — but could not add to their tally. The visitors' only shot on target of note was the penalty.

This was Homburg's first of seven scheduled pre-season friendlies ahead of the 2026/27 Regionalliga Südwest season. The club began training on 28 June and used the match to give minutes to youth products (Irakli Maruashvili, Niklas Zapotoczny, Noel Weinel) and two trialists (Yohann Torres, Leon Bucher). Five first-team players were absent through injury, including long-term absentees Nico Jörg and Lukas Hoffmann, plus new signing Aaron Manu.

Homburg's next test comes on Wednesday, 8 July against Karlsruher SC U23 in Hauenstein (18:00 kick-off), followed by a tough assignment against 3. Liga side SV Wehen Wiesbaden on 9 July (15:00). Emmelshausen-Karbach continue their own pre-season preparations in the Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar.

A routine pre-season opener for Homburg, played at a controlled intensity against a lower-division opponent. The three goals before half-time showed the quality gap, but the second-half drop-off in finishing — despite creating chances — gives Seitz something to work on in training. No injuries and minutes for trialists and youth count as the main positives.