Saarbrücken performed the next miracle in the DFB Cup: Bundesliga club Gladbach were also bowled out by the outsiders. The joy after the final whistle knew hardly any bounds.
When Rüdiger Ziehl stood on the rain-soaked lawn of Saarbrücken’s Ludwigsparkstadion a good quarter of an hour after the final whistle, he still couldn’t really believe it: his team was in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup.
Little relief, but a decisive goal
As a result, he also analyzed the game a little more comprehensively: “The first half was wild, a wild game. We had a lot of counterattack opportunities against us,” said Ziehl. Afterwards, his team “had little relief” due to the pressure from Gladbach, which was “already difficult”.
But then came the third minute of injury time, in which Kai Brünker maneuvered the ball over the line for the final score. “That one moment in stoppage time. We took advantage of a situation. Even though we were knocked out standing, especially Kai Brünker, who actually couldn’t stand anymore, but then sank the ball cleanly,” the coach explained euphorically.
The mood of Ziehl’s Gladbach opponent Gerardo Seoane was completely different. “We have ourselves to blame for this because we didn’t manage to be efficient and finish clearly, especially in the first half,” said the Borussia coach. In the end, there was a lack of “clarity” in the conclusion.
Weigl’s perplexity
His player Julian Weigl seemed similarly shaken. “It’s really hard to find words right now,” said the midfielder. “If you play here as Mönchengladbach, you just have to progress. We should have scored two or three goals in the first half.” In addition, the second Saarbrücken goal “should never have happened,” emphasized Weigl.
Saarbrücken’s Patrick Sontheimer saw it completely differently. “Today we set off fireworks again with the fans,” said the midfielder. “It certainly wasn’t a nice game,” said the 25-year-old: “But you couldn’t imagine it being any better.”