Guest Post: Match Day

We asked Tim if he'd like to be a guest writer on our blog and cover the highlight of our Germany trip: seeing a Bayern Munich match in person. He accepted the challenge. This is what he had to share:

Match Day
by Tim Botting

My first thought after waking up on April 23: Match day! Time to see “The Old Lady”! Indeed, after months of planning, the football match day had finally come. I donned my Bayern Munich kit, which I purchased earlier in the week, and we left around lunch time for the football grounds. Based on the apparel of the football fans in the subway and the short walk to the grounds, a club scarf is the most common and probably stylish way to show support for your club.

Upon arriving to the outskirts of the stadium, we immediately saw the Olympic rings hanging outside the entrance. Hertha Berlin plays their matches at the Olympiastadion, a stadium where some events during the infamous 1936 Olympics were held. At first glance, this was fairly obvious since the stadium looks like it was made of old brick which is quite imposing. I am sure that is was the idea of the designer. Adjacent to the stadium was a field hockey arena. After we gained entry into the Olympiastadion, we wandered around to look for other historic structures. We were shocked to discover that a field (where a cricket match was occurring) was actually an area where Hitler staged numerous troop rallies often seen in the historic photos documenting the events leading up to WWII. There was also a swimming pool under renovation, likely from the Olympic games, as well as small monuments from other Olympic host cities with the names of German medal winners.

The front of the Olympiastadion

People playing cricket on the Maifield

The Olympic pool next to the stadium

Hertha Berlin itself is also historic. Nicknamed “The Old Lady”, the club began in 1892 as the first exclusive football club in Germany. It was named after a steamship with a blue and white smokestack (club and kit colors) which had transported one of the club founders previously.  Hertha Berlin is also a founding member of the German Cup and German football league known as the Bundesliga. The Olympiastadion hosts the German Cup every year. Unfortunately Hertha Berlin was knocked out of the semifinals of the German Cup earlier in the week by Borussia Dortmund. The match we saw was a normal Bundesliga game versus Bayern Munich, a consistently dominant team.

Group selfie in front of the stadium

A big lawn area on the south side of the stadium

Grabbing some beers before the match starts

After completing our stroll, it was time to find our seats. Due to the high profile nature of the game between two teams in the top five of the Bundesliga standings, I had to scramble to get tickets the day they became available (approximately two months before the game) from the club website. It became obvious that I was not going to get seven seats together, so I frantically searched the sections and was able to purchase tickets in a group of two (seats next to each other), a group of three (seats 6, 8 and 10 – hoping that a stranger would allow us to swap seats) and another group of two (piggyback seats) in three completely different sections of the arena. All of the seats were located near a corner of the pitch just in different areas of the stadium. I chose to sit in the group of three seats with Brandon and Katie, since that particular section was close to the home supporters section, which I assumed was going to be lively and entertaining. I was not disappointed!

Match Ticket

Panorama of the pitch from our seats

Me and Katie enjoying the view

Brandon and Katie pre-match

Right before the match was set to kick off, the Bayern Munich visiting supporters lit off red flares (their club and kit color) which was met with loud jeering from the home supporters. Interestingly, Americans boo loudly when they are angry at sporting events, but Europeans whistle. These whistles are deafening compared any boos you would hear at an American event, probably with the exception of a Cleveland Browns American football game. While I was initially surprised by the flares, it is not uncommon for flares to be lit at football games across the world. The match was delayed for a few minutes as the wind blew the smoke from the flares across the pitch, likely obscuring the view of the television cameras.        

Bayern Munich fans lighting their flares

  

A view of the Bayern flares from Nate's seats

The first half of the match was pretty entertaining as both Hertha Berlin and Bayern Munich had a few chances to score but squandered them. Regardless of the play on the field, the endless number of faithful club supporters from both teams kept singing, chanting and cheering. Bayern Munich managed to score two goals in the second half: one on a deflection and one sudden shot that may have caught the goalkeeper off guard. The second half as a whole was much less entertaining than the first half, as Bayern Munich scored their first goal right after the start of the second half and subsequently maintained possession fairly well for the rest of the game. Their manager, Pep Guardiola, is known for teaching players that ball possession is paramount, a highly successful style he became famous for when he was the manager of FC Barcelona. It would have been incredible to see Hertha Berlin break the goalkeeper’s clean sheet and watch the eruption from the home supporters, but alas, Bayern Munich is a difficult team for any club to score on.

Hertha Berlin setting up for a corner kick

The game in action

After the game, the players shook hands and some swapped kits. A few Hertha Berlin players tossed their kits in a trash can, showing disgust for the match result. Players from each club went to salute their loyal fans and complete one last rendition of their club anthems. I was impressed by how many supporters from both clubs stuck around for this salute and remained upbeat, possibly aided by consuming copious amounts of beer. Indeed, Hertha Berlin and Bayern Munich supporters appeared to follow the timeless football motto ranking their priorities in order of importance: “God…Country…Club…”

Standing for the final minutes of the game

The final score