ESSEN (Interstat) — Gianluca Swajkowski scored in the 50th minute to give R-W Essen a 1-0 victory over Verl 1924 II on Saturday in a 3. Liga match at Stadion an der Hafenstraße.

Swajkowski also received a yellow card in the 17th minute. Other cautions were issued to Michel Stöcker in the 20th, Yari Otto in the 39th, Julian Stark in the 78th and Kaito Mizuta in the 88th.

R-W Essen improved to 18-7-10 in league play, while Verl 1924 II fell to 15-10-10. Across all competitions, R-W Essen is 19-8-10 and Verl 1924 II is 21-19-12.

The teams had previously played to a scoreless draw on Dec. 13, 2025. Verl 1924 II entered the match having won four of its previous five games, including a 4-0 shutout of Havelse on May 2. R-W Essen had lost its last two matches, including a 6-1 defeat at Stuttgart.

R-W Essen next plays at Ulm on May 16. Verl 1924 II hosts 1860 München II on the same day.