Eltersdorf vs SpVgg Greuther Fürth

Eltersdorf actually had the first chance of the match. Arles found himself free in front of goal in the sixth minute but failed to connect with his shot, a let-off that Fürth would not allow to go unpunished.

Once the visitors found their rhythm, the gulf in class became clear. Maxi Dietz threaded a pass to Klaus, who back-heeled for Jannik Dehm. The right-back kept the move alive, and Appelkamp — a summer signing from Fortuna Düsseldorf — finished from close range in the 18th minute.

Four minutes later, Klaus stepped up to a free kick 18 metres out and drilled it low into the corner past the wall to make it 2-0. Aaron Keller and Dennis Srbeny both went close before half-time, but the score remained 2-0 at the break.

Fürth coach Heiko Vogel made 10 changes at half-time, with only goalkeeper Silas Prüfrock remaining on the pitch. The largely second-string XI maintained control. In the 49th minute (recorded as 52' in official data), Philipp Müller's corner found Omar Sillah unmarked in the six-yard box, and the forward powered a header home to make it 3-0.

Chances dried up after that. Eltersdorf's Perera curled a late shot wide from distance in the 84th minute, but Prüfrock was rarely tested on his way to a clean sheet.

Klaus's 22nd-minute free kick — scored just four minutes after Appelkamp's opener — effectively ended the contest before half-time. Eltersdorf had no response to going two goals down inside 22 minutes, and the second half was largely a damage-limitation exercise.

• Felix Klaus (Fürth) — The newly appointed captain scored a fine free kick, set up the move for the opener, and led by example throughout his 45 minutes on the pitch. Player of the match.
• Shinta Appelkamp (Fürth) — The off-season signing from Fortuna Düsseldorf opened his goalscoring account for the Kleeblatt with a well-taken finish in the 18th minute, showing sharp movement in the box.
• Omar Sillah (Fürth) — Scored the second-half header from a corner and almost added a fourth late on, proving a handful for the Eltersdorf defence.
• Silas Prüfrock (Fürth) — The only player to feature for the full 90 minutes, the goalkeeper kept a clean sheet with minimal fuss.

Fürth's three goals came from three different patterns: a flowing team move (Appelkamp), a direct free kick (Klaus), and a set-piece header (Sillah). The 10 half-time changes meant the second XI was notably younger — featuring Lukas Reich, Philipp Müller and others from the club's academy — but they maintained the same territorial dominance. The clean sheet was Fürth's first of pre-season after a 1-0 loss to SpVgg Bayreuth on 5 July, and the fact that two entirely different XIs each kept Eltersdorf at bay is a positive sign for Vogel's squad depth.

Fürth bounced back from their opening pre-season defeat (0-1 vs SpVgg Bayreuth on 5 July) to record their first win of the summer. The 2. Bundesliga side, who only secured their top-flight status via the relegation play-off in 2025/26, continue preparations with a visit to Eintracht Bamberg on 11 July. Defender Philipp Ziereis was absent for the second consecutive friendly; according to NN.de and dpa, the 33-year-old is on the verge of a move to Melbourne Victory in Australia.

Eltersdorf, competing in the Regionalliga, will continue their own pre-season schedule as they build towards the 2026/27 campaign.

A routine pre-season workout for Fürth against lower-league opposition. The first XI's quickfire double inside four minutes set the tone, and the second-string XI's ability to keep a clean sheet suggests depth that Vogel can build on. The headline, however, is Klaus's confident display as captain — a reassuring sign for a club that needed the relegation play-off to survive last season.

• SpVgg Greuther Fürth: vs Eintracht Bamberg (A) — 11 July 2026, 17:00
• Eltersdorf: TBC (Regionalliga preparations continue)