Viktoria Aschaffenburg vs Wormatia Worms

Wormatia Worms dominated the opening half-hour and could have put the game out of reach inside the first 15 minutes. Volkan Rona opened the scoring in the 10th minute, and Mert Özkaya doubled the lead four minutes later, both goals arriving from a high-pressing approach that left the Aschaffenburg defence chasing shadows.

Wormatia coach Artur Lemm later noted his side had created five or six more clear-cut chances that went unconverted during that spell — a profligacy that proved costly.

Aschaffenburg’s first shot on goal produced a lifeline. Baier, the veteran midfielder and former Bayern Munich II and SpVgg Unterhaching man, pulled one back in the 30th minute. Eight minutes later he stepped up to convert a penalty awarded after a clumsy foul, and the sides went in level at 2-2 at the break.

Baier completed his hat-trick in the 58th minute, turning the game on its head to make it 3-2 to the hosts. Wormatia, having made several changes at half-time, initially struggled to regain their rhythm.

The visitors eventually found their footing again. Mert Özkaya scored his second of the afternoon from the penalty spot in the 81st minute, after a foul on Siontis, to make it 3-3. Wormatia pushed for a winner in the closing stages and earned applause from their travelling support at the final whistle.

Wormatia’s failure to convert their early dominance into a bigger lead was decisive. Leading 2-0 with five or six further big chances spurned inside the first 30 minutes, they allowed Aschaffenburg to stay in the contest. Once Baier scored with the home side’s first shot on goal, the momentum shifted. The psychological blow of conceding a penalty equaliser eight minutes later, just before half-time, erased Worms’ earlier superiority. “With the first half-hour, apart from the finishing, I was very satisfied,” Lemm told the club website, underscoring the fine margins.

Benjamin Baier (Viktoria Aschaffenburg) — The 37-year-old was the match-winner in the sense that without him the hosts would have lost. A left-footed finish, a composed penalty, and a third goal to complete the hat-trick by the 58th minute. Lemm called him “the leading wolf” in the Aschaffenburg side. Player of the match.

Mert Özkaya (Wormatia Worms) — Scored twice, including the crucial 81st-minute penalty to rescue a draw. One of Worms’ liveliest attackers before being substituted at half-time, then brought back on to see out the game.

Volkan Rona (Wormatia Worms) — Opened the scoring early and was a constant threat before his half-time substitution as part of the planned rotation.

The 3-3 scoreline suggests an even contest, but the flow was anything but. Wormatia created the better chances in the first 30 minutes — Lemm’s estimation of five or six big opportunities beyond the two goals reflects a game that could have been 4-0 or 5-0 before Aschaffenburg had a shot. The home side’s first shot on goal produced a goal, and Baier’s conversion rate was near-perfect: three goals from what were likely no more than four or five total shots on target across 90 minutes. Wormatia’s second-half performance, disrupted by wholesale changes at the break, failed to match the intensity of the first half until the final 15 minutes.

This was Wormatia’s third pre-season friendly of the 2026-27 preparation, following a penalty-shootout defeat in the sat-Cup opener against Mechtersheim on 1 July 2026. Lemm used the match to rotate heavily — 14 outfield players featured across the 90 minutes — and described the intensity as “good” given the squad was in the middle of a two-week block of daily training. The result is secondary; Lemm is still evaluating his squad. Wormatia were scheduled to play the following day (5 July) against TSG Pfeddersheim in the sat-Cup third-place match, with both sides agreeing to a shortened 70-minute game.

For Viktoria Aschaffenburg, recently relegated from the Regionalliga, the performance showed resilience. Baier’s hat-trick will be a bright spot in what is likely to be a transitional season in the Hessenliga.

A pre-season friendly that swung wildly in phases. Wormatia’s early dominance should have produced a more comfortable lead, but missed chances and a half-time reshuffle cost them control. Aschaffenburg, carried by Baier’s treble, showed they can compete even when second-best for long stretches. The draw was a fair reflection of the game’s two contrasting halves.