Die Kings vom Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion

By: Abby | February 9th, 2008

If this was game was against anything but Stuttgart tomorrow, I’d consider coming home this late an excuse to be a bad blogger and not write this match preview. I’m tired and wet. But this is Hertha versus Stuttgart and that holds a place in my heart.

I have a scarf that says Die Kings vom Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion. I bought it from the little away merchandise stand in the Olympiastadion, as I was determined to come back to the States with loads of scarves. I tucked it away and wore the Hertha one I’d bought instead (it says Since 1892 on it- I don’t know why it’s in English). I’d been excited about going to a game since arriving in Berlin a month before. Since then I’d convinced a friend to come with me, attempted to buy a ticket (too early to buy tickets for individual games), attempted to buy a ticket again (none of the things I thought were ticket counters actually had them), and then finally managed get my tickets, even talking in German as I did it.

Beth and I went to the Olympiastadion and gawked. She knew nothing about football and I only knew them from TV. Being there, with the whole spectacle of a home opener, was much different. The hardcore fans with their patch-covered vests, the entertainment out front, the flag wavers in the stands across from us. Beth busied herself with beer while I watched.

Stuttgart were the defending champions. I remember Beth turning to me at some point during the first half and saying that Stuttgart looked a lot better than Hertha did. They duly went ahead thanks to Hitzelsperger (who I have to admit I’ve always liked) and it looked as if the champions would prevail.

But as the second half started Hertha were awarded a penalty, which was put away by Sofian Chahed of all people. While it was perhaps a little dubious, it did look like a penalty from where I was- far away on the other side of the pitch (much different without close-up replays). Malik Fathi put away a corner. And Solomon Okoronkwo scored a great third. He was so unfamiliar to the crowd (he’d been on loan at Rot-Weiss Essen) that they weren’t quite sure how to yell back his last name. At least, that’s how I remember it. It ended 3-1. Groups sang in the train all the way back to the center of the city. Hertha had caused an upset.

Will we again? Probably not. Stuttgart spend the first part of this season in awful form. Hertha, on the other hand, were pretty good (remember that one day when we were top of the league?). But Stuttgart have been steadily getting their act together as we’ve been steadily losing ours. Plus, this time, we’re away, and we’ve only managed to beat Duisburg away. We still have injury problems, but Captain Friedrich is back. Hopefully that will stabilize the defense a little.

Whatever the case, this one is on GolTV, so I’m going to watch. It’s somehow fitting, isn’t it? And the Hertha website is optimistic. The header of their match preview, like the header of at least half of all the articles on the English website, reads Hertha beat Stuttgart 3-1!