Hertha BSC scored very important points in the promotion battle of the 2nd league against Dynamo Dresden – but due to hunting scenes and rocket fire among the fans, the sport took a back seat in the 1-0 (0-0), which Marten Winkler made sure of when they were outnumbered in the 80th minute.
It was an intense game for almost 18 minutes, in which Hertha had the upper hand a little, but overall there were far more heated duels than chances to score. In terms of football she wasn’t a treat, but off the ball she was extremely problematic. In the early stages there were repeated explosions of fireworks and firecrackers and a brief interruption, but as bad as the situation was, it got much worse in the 19th minute.
Spectators fire rockets at each other
After a Hertha flag was held up in the Dresden block, things escalated in the Rudolf Harbig Stadium. Berlin supporters entered the interior, fired rockets into the surrounding stands, from where missiles were fired back, whereupon referee Sven Jablonski stopped the game and sent the teams to the dressing rooms.
Meanwhile, several Dynamo supporters made their way towards the Hertha block, wearing yellow raincoats as part of a yellow and black choreography, causing further escalation. When the police confronted them, these people fled and sprinted back towards the stands, jumping over the barrier back into the sea of other yellow coats. The police then positioned themselves on the field while more pyrotechnics were ignited and the previously displayed blue and white flag burned in the dynamo block.
Police ensure the game continues
“It’s very unreal when you see them shooting rockets at each other, it has nothing to do with football. We’re all in a bit of shock.”said Dresden sports director Sören Gonther on “Sky” and reported that the police had confirmed that they wanted to bring the situation under control with an increase. This gave the police the “go” for the game to continue, and after an interruption of around 20 minutes, it actually continued. Stefan Leitl later praised referee Jablonski for his handling of the situation.
After that, the game remained intense with dominant guests from Berlin, but without any really top-class opportunities. Until the half-time break, the game went without much excitement, but fortunately it was quiet away from the field. After all, the latter remained that way until the end, and the scandalous scenes after 19 minutes will – and must – have an aftermath.
Great opportunities for both teams, Brekalo sees red
Apart from this topic, there was a lot going on in terms of sport in the second half. Dresden needs every point in the fight for promotion and Hertha absolutely needed a win in order to be able to play a more important role in the fight for promotion in the 2nd league. Dynamo finally had the best chance of taking the lead in the 62nd minute when Kofi Amoako crossed the ball perfectly to Ben Bobzien, who shot just wide of the goal.
Immediately afterwards, Dawid Kownacki missed Hertha’s greatest opportunity when he shot too quickly from the turn (63′). After the bad fan scenes in the first half, there was a very bad sporting scene shortly afterwards: Josip Brekalo stepped on Robert Wagner’s shin with his sole and was rightly shown a red card (66′). The victory that was so important for Berlin was now very far away and Dresden had the opportunity to score big points in the basement.
Vermeij misses from the spot, Rossipal hits his own goal
The big chance for this came from a handball by Paul Seguin following a corner, after which Jablonski, according to the video images, awarded a penalty. However, Vincent Vermeij missed this opportunity, Tjark Ernst saved the weak penalty and gave Hertha their hopes of fighting for promotion (77th).
The Berliners had to thank their goalkeeper – and did exactly that by ennobling his great deed. Fabian Reese played a strong cross that Winkler hit with his head and deflected so that Rossipal could no longer clear the ball in a controlled manner and sent it into his own goal with an arc lamp (80th). And Dresden never recovered from this double shock within three minutes; Hertha won while outnumbered.
Dresden coach Thomas Stamm complained: “Except for the penalty, we have to decide that way too.” The reason for this was the lack of efficiency, says Stamm. Hertha’s Stefan Leitl was happy about his team’s happier ending after a “clear red card” and the penalty: “Nevertheless, the boys come back and reward themselves with great effort and great discipline.“
And so Leitl’s team expanded its strong form to 13 points from the last five games, and the gap to second and third place is now only four points before Sunday’s games. With a win next Saturday against 1. FC Kaiserslautern (1 p.m.), Hertha wants to put even more pressure on the top three. Dresden has to score points at 1. FC Nürnberg at the same time, otherwise they risk returning to the relegation places.
