Back to Berlin and although I was still in shock after the “M word match” I was quietly confident (along with most Hertha fans) that Hertha could bounce back against bottom place Hannover 96 and keep on track for European football next season.
When we arrived at the Olympiastadion it felt fairly quiet and I was slightly concerned that people had stayed away following “M”. As it turned out there was a turnout of over 45,000 although I’m not sure where they all were before the game!
Even before going into the stadium you could see there was going to be another glorious sunset in the west of Berlin. As the sun went down under the horizon above the May Field you could see the huge marques being erected on the field. One heck of a beer tent . . . . I’m assuming they are going to be used for the DFB Pokal final in a few weeks. |
The game got off to a lightning start and when, after just four minutes, Marvin Plattenhardt whipped in a cross from the left touchline to Vedad Ibisevic skipping over the ball and clipping it into the net the crowd went mad! High fives all around and dreams of 6:0 didn’t look quite so crazy. However, Beck nearly spoiled the party just a few minutes later. It was all a bit of a mess really with Stark being in front of Jarstein as the shot came in – jumping to head the ball over – missing the header and leaving Rune to take the slightest of chances to save as came over. Just fourteen minutes after Vedad's goal a back heel followed by a quick short pass just left Artur Sobiech to put it away and the stadium's collective heart sank.
Unser Verein – Unsere Heimat!
Hertha - Our Club Olympiastadion - Our Home!
I’m with them on that one! More about that in a later post.