Match Report: VfB Stuttgart (H)

Pre-match

It may have been a dreary day in Berlin, but things are increasingly sunny in the land of 1. FC Union Berlin.

An evening kickoff against Stuttgart had given us plenty to savour in the buildup; the Frauen taking a giant step towards the 1. Bundesliga in Meppen, the timeless Christopher Trimmel extending for another year, the bottom teams losing.

On the walk to the ground - squeezing past the ever-expanding construction sites to get onto the Waldweg - we engaged in some deep tactical analysis because we're such fun people.

Where has it all gone right for Union? We praised our suddenly solid defence, calm control of games, the ability to create one or two big chances per game.

We confidently predicted another close, tight game.

The mood was appropriately festive in the Alte Försterei as we took a high perch in the stand. I could actually see the pitch today, a thrilling rarity.

Stuttgart travelled in numbers and made good noise throughout, but the Waldseite and Gegengerade were right into it today, belting out songs from the moment Trimmel took to the pitch to warm up.

The man himself remained in the starting lineup in a settled team.

Today's opponents were no slouches on paper, similar in the table to last week's victims Wolfsburg on paper, but with a dangerous lineup including Deniz Undav and Maxi Mittelstädt.

Thankfully, the dangerous Woltemade was suspended. There's a recent shared nightmare among UBI members about 'The Panenka Game', where a load of us piled into that venerable bar, watched us race into a two goal lead and then totally lose our heads in a crushing loss.

But those were different times. Probably. Surely nothing similar could happen today. Surely.

First Half

Anyway, we kicked off and immediately raced into a two goal lead. Stuttgart started more dangerously, but we got up the other end and won a corner after 5 minutes.

In it came, Doekhi or Leite got a knock down, and Ilic was there to tuck it home. Easy as you like, beer flying in the Gegengerade. The referee held it back for an unreasonably long VAR check, much to our chagrin, but the goal stood.

Stuttgart almost hit right back. Perhaps giddy from the rare early goal, the defence pushed up way higher than our general pace levels would deem sensible.

A simple ball over the top put Demirovic clean through from within his own half, and he had the freedom of Köpenick to lumber forward one on one with Rönnow.

We all held our breath as he seemed set to roll it in. Instead, he attempted to cut around Rönnow and instead just shanked the ball out of play. It was quite majestic, honestly.

The reprieve would prove costly for Stuttgart as we won a free kick on the right. Trimmel had already delivered one peach of a corner and repeated the trick, curling in a delicious cross from the right. Querfeld and Doekhi leapt for it, this time nodding the ball across for the towering Leite to crash a header past Nübel.

2 shots, 2 goals and we were in dreamland, Khedira pumping his arms to the crowd and all of us tearing into songs and chants with abandon. The skies were grey and dull but the stadium was bright and loud, clouds of pyro billowing into the evening sky.

Stuttgart were actually very good on the ball and would have been bewildered to find themselves two down after 10 minutes.

To say they looked fragile at the back was an understatement, but we weren't exactly looking solid either as the game yo-yoed from end to end.

Our centre backs, preoccupied with rampant scoring and assisting, left Undav on his own on the edge of the box. Querfeld and Leite scrambled towards him, but he had time to turn and absolutely laser a shot past Rönnow, it had some real malice on it.

The Panenka Game suddenly reared into view. But surely that wouldn't happen again. Those were different times.

Stuttgart, realising that we weren't going to be doing much defending today either, were suddenly buoyant and probing. Millot down the right was giving Rothe a host of problems while Mittelstädt and Führich doubled up on Trimmel on the left.

It didn't take long for the equaliser to arrive. Again Stuttgart worked it left before knocking the ball to the right flank. Leite somehow lost out to Millot in the air but it didn't look overly dangerous until he took one step forward and casually bent the ball in from about 25 yards. A real beauty of a strike to level things up, followed by a bit of afters to the Waldseite.

The players looked a bit shellshocked at throwing away a two goal lead to for the second time in a single season, and for a while the visitors were well on top, Rönnow needing to be sharp several times to beat away potshots.

Rothe was trying gamely to get forward but not much would stick, Hollerbach getting frustrated with the lack of the usual balls over the top.

It turns out we didn't need the usual today, the next and most beautiful moment of insanity was just around the corner.

We worked a throw in on the left. More or less everyone was on the edge of the Stuttgart box waiting for the ball in. Instead, it went back to Querfeld.

I'm not sure what the success rate for 20 year old centre backs taking long range shots is, but with everyone backing off, the classy Austrian unit took a touch, pondered the nice efforts of the Stuttgart goals, laughed dismissively, picked his spot and unleashed the single finest strike of a football I have ever seen a human being take.

He had actually hit a beauty in the warmup, I noticed, but so does almost everyone in fairness.

But here, when it mattered, from what must have 40 yards, he looked up and absolutely fucking leathered it. I had time to utter 'he's going to hit this' before he let loose. Time slowed down in the Alte Försterei, a moment of stunned hush and held breath. As soon as he hit it we knew it was in.

It started dead straight and high, a cannon of a strike, before arcing beautifully down and away from Nübel's despairing dive, right into the top corner. A goal of complete and unexpected beauty. A goal we'll be talking about in 10 years.

The whole place exploded, Querfeld mobbed by teammates and all of us bouncing, tumbling and embracing in a beery tangle of limbs in the stands.

It was a goal worthy of winning any football match.

Unfortunately, it did not win this football match, because Stuttgart were right back at it shortly after.

This time they won a soft free kick on the right, and from the resulting inswinger, Chabot had the simplest of flicked headers to nod past Rönnow. 3:3.

With 5 minutes to half time we were expecting everyone to just calm the fuck down at this point, but the football gods decided we deserved a bit more madness.

We pushed high again but Leite was robbed on the halfway line, strangled gasps from us all because we knew what was coming. Stuttgart raced forward and squared to Führich.

Schäfer had busted a gut to get back but overcooked his sliding block, the Stuttgart attacker deftly reversing course to open some space before slamming past Rönnow. The wind went out of the Waldseite for a fleeting second.

Somehow we found ourselves 4:3 down as the clock ticked into added time. We expected the team to close up and regroup at half time, but there was one more surprise.

After some more determined work by I think Rothe, we won a free kick on the left. At this rate a free kick was like a penalty, and Trimmel duly floated in another dreamy, curling ball that Ilic flung himself at and bundled past Nübel, again.

4:4 in the first half. I've never seen anything like it.

Both defences as solid as meringue. Goals flying in from everyone and everywhere.

We were all exhausted as the half time whistle finally blew. The maddest half of football any of us have ever seen, and still 45 minutes to come.

Second Half

The second half was, thank god, incredibly dull. 8 goals in a single half. Defenders all over the scoresheet. Centre backs scoring from 40 yards. Leite getting a goal. It's not natural, I tell you.

In order to restore the natural order of things, players from both sides took a long hard look at themselves at half time and decided to play good old-fashioned cagey mid-table caution-ball for the remaining 45 minutes.

Both sides had chances to win it but sensibly passed them up. Stuttgart made Rönnow flap at one but Chabot, sickened by having already scored one, nodded over.

We had the better chances in the end, despite seeing less of the ball.

Hollerbach was his usual nuisance but hadn't seen the ball much. He got free though and sprinted forward, unlucky to see his shot fly over from the edge of the box.

Rothe had a tricky first half defensively but always tried to make things happen at the other end. He battled away to create a chance on the left, firing a low cross in that Hollerbach just couldn't convert.

Both teams had really run their socks off and were exhausted by the end, Querfeld almost winning it after another glorious corner from Trimmel, his header crashing over the bar.

The final two minutes ticked down to jubilation from the Unioner, a roar at the final whistle confirming our safety and more 1. Bundesliga football next year.

We stayed long after the whistle to sing ourselves hoarse and serenade the team, the immortal Trimmel and a game that will live long in the memory.

There were plenty of good performances today, Ilic grabbing two goals, Schäfer the pick of an at times overrun midfield, Querfeld solid and giving us surely the goal of the season.

But what a joy it is to be in this position, to be safe with 4 to play and to watch this classic not with foreboding but with amazement. What a turnaround under Baumgart after a shaky start. Looking at the fixtures after Kiel, we wondered where points were coming from.

Everywhere, is the answer.

The team have worked so hard to turn the season around, and yesterday we showed our appreciation late into the Köpenick evening, plenty of Stuttgart fans staying behind to watch the Waldseite and Gegengerade just keep on bouncing, chanting and pyroing with the team.

No better place to be under grey April skies.

Eisern!

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By @MarkJB on Bluesky