The match against Borussia Mönchengladbach (a German Team) was a difficult one for me personally in that a week ago I had just had a minor operation in which, although not serious, it could and, perhaps should, have prevented me going to this match. But hey, I don’t take support lightly and, as you can see I made it!
I spent most of the day resting if I was honest but in the late afternoon I headed over to Mitte to meet up with a fellow Hertha fan I’d met at the Olympiastadion (Henry) and a newcomer to Berlin (Ryan) originally from Atlanta but more recently from San Francisco.
Some of the forecasts for the evening had been for light rain but we were lucky in that it remained dry for us. Approaching the Olympiastadion at night on match-day is always pretty special as you walk up from the U-Bahn station and you see the Olympic rings as well as the stadium itself all lit up.
This time even more so as there were two Warsteiner hot air balloons present beyond the turnstiles as an promotional stunt. They looked really impressive when the burners flared and the balloon lit up making like two giant light bulbs!
Some of the forecasts for the evening had been for light rain but we were lucky in that it remained dry for us. Approaching the Olympiastadion at night on match-day is always pretty special as you walk up from the U-Bahn station and you see the Olympic rings as well as the stadium itself all lit up.
This time even more so as there were two Warsteiner hot air balloons present beyond the turnstiles as an promotional stunt. They looked really impressive when the burners flared and the balloon lit up making like two giant light bulbs!
 A pre-match beer anyone? |  Bell tower Ha Ho He |
Once we were through the turnstiles you could see the Bell Tower had the Hertha flag and “Ha Ho He” projected onto it. That was quite cool as it could be seen from the Ostkurve through the Marathon gate. Clearly some effort had been made to make a show of the night.
Once we were through the turnstiles you could see the Bell Tower had the Hertha flag and “Ha Ho He” projected onto it. That was quite cool as it could be seen from the Ostkurve through the Marathon gate. Clearly some effort had been made to make a show of the night.
The game itself was a joy to behold. Hertha dominated the tired foals for much of the ninety minutes. The Gladbach players committed a number of fouls in an attempt to peg back Hertha who were very much on the front foot for much of the match. Christoph Kramer picked up his first yellow in the 8th minute and, unfortunately for him, his second with a red card in just the 39th. With Kalou having already scored two out of his three goals by that point it was damage limitation for Gladbach from that point onwards. The stand out players in my opinion were Kalou (obviously) but also Mitchell Weiser with two assists.
You had to feel pleased for Kalou who hadn’t scored for Hertha since April but had a dire time of it since that time with the death of both his father and aunt followed by back injury. The completion of his hattrick was the icing on the cake and he received a well-deserved standing ovation from the 52,000 strong crowd in the 86th minute when he was subbed off. He appeared grateful for the support from the crowd and took the microphone from the announcer in front of the Ostkurve to express his appreciation of that support. It was enough to bring a lump to your throat to be honest.
The game itself was a joy to behold. Hertha dominated the tired foals for much of the ninety minutes. The Gladbach players committed a number of fouls in an attempt to peg back Hertha who were very much on the front foot for much of the match. Christoph Kramer picked up his first yellow in the 8th minute and, unfortunately for him, his second with a red card in just the 39th. With Kalou having already scored two out of his three goals by that point it was damage limitation for Gladbach from that point onwards. The stand out players in my opinion were Kalou (obviously) but also Mitchell Weiser with two assists.
You had to feel pleased for Kalou who hadn’t scored for Hertha since April but had a dire time of it since that time with the death of both his father and aunt followed by back injury. The completion of his hattrick was the icing on the cake and he received a well-deserved standing ovation from the 52,000 strong crowd in the 86th minute when he was subbed off. He appeared grateful for the support from the crowd and took the microphone from the announcer in front of the Ostkurve to express his appreciation of that support. It was enough to bring a lump to your throat to be honest.
Kalou and the team acknowledge the support from the Ostkurve after the game
Getting home after the match and with the current run of home wins the odd glass or two just forced their way down my throat! Poor Herthinho however . . .
Herthinho can't cope with all of these home wins and subsequent celebrations
I am so glad that I made it to this match to see it “in the flesh”. If I had stayed at home nursing injury I would have been gutted to have missed such a triumphant display and the chance to applaud Salomon Kalou upon his return to form after such a difficult time for him.
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